When In Rio
by waterflower20
Summary: Hermione finds trouble during her parents anniversary trip to Brazil. A bronze haired man saves her and the attraction that develops between them changes their lives irrevocably... A/Uish. Written for the hgcrossovers exchange in Live Journal. Sequel is on its way! Don't own pic...
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing , I only borrowed the characters to create this story.

**A/N:** This story was my assignment for the Live Journal's community, hgcrossovers, exchange I took part in. **littleriri1148 **requested a Twilight/HP crossover with Hermione/Edward as the main pairing, not major OCC (I hope I managed to maintain their character but due to the story's plot, it's due that some OOC would occurred. Sorry about that!) and preferably Hermione wouldn't be related to Bella. We had 2 months to write the story but due to some real life issues I only had a month and just five days before the day I was supposed to sent the story to my beta for this story, I got a new, better idea and I completely erased the previous story (more than fifteen pages!) and wrote this instead! Her prompts were: forbidden, hope, pieces, time, midnight, lost. I used them all!

The plot is basically about Edward and Hermione's time in Rio, and how their feelings progress, so it's mainly fluff.

**A/N 2: **Even though the events in HP world took place in the nineties, for the sake of this story they took place in the 2000's, okay? During New Moon and ten months after DH.

Hope you'll like it! It's my first M rated story, I hope I did it justice! Oh and Hermione is NOT related to Bella, as **littleriri1148** requested!

*All the local foods and drinks mentioned are real as is _Emporio_, the bar Hermione visits. I only used the name though. Again I own nothing!

And before I forget, this is my first rated **M **story for a good reason. I will post at each chapter warnings but keep in mind the rating, please.

Thanks to **mutlu134 **for betaing this!

_**Chapter 1**_

_"Don't do anything stupid... Keep yourself safe..."_

The tall young man stared at the blazing sun from his wide window, his right hand tightly clasping the cream colored curtain, holding it to the side so he could look outside to the busy city. He could see the tiny people on the sidewalk below, walking nonchalantly, chatting on their cellular phones or with friends and not knowing that just above them, hidden away in a luxurious suite of the hotel, was a monster; someone who could kill them in a heartbeat.

His butter colored eyes tightened as he looked up and stared right at the enormous statue of Jesus Christ. The Messiah...

Too bad he was too far gone for any kind of saving...

…A soulless creature…

…a bloodthirsty monster who dared to think that he could find his salvation in the form of a petite, brunette angel that stole his heart and made him feel true happiness for the first time in almost a century. But he forgot what he was... he forgot that he could not possibly stay with her. He was far too dangerous, far too much of an animal,_ a beast..._

Heavy lids slid close, veiling the golden orbs that were filled with inner turmoil and pain. The stinging sensation was a constant companion of him these past few months (months? He could have sworn it had been years since he last saw her soft, shy smile and warm chocolate eyes that never failed to make his dead heart stutter) but unlike humans, he wasn't capable to shed his hot tears. So his pain stayed hidden, tearing him from the inside out.

He took a step back, releasing his iron grip on the curtain. He sat heavily on his king sized bed, his elbows resting on his bent knees and his face hidden in his hands as he tried desperately to forget her heart-broken gaze, her sad and broken face as he said good bye. He tried to forget for just a fleeting moment.

_Christ, she truly believed him! _How could she have believed his lying words when he made it so clear that she was his world? But, it was for the best... She would never let him leave if she knew his feelings for her. He needed to leave her for her to live her life properly; to stay safe, grow old, and raise her own family.

To his shock, Rosalie was very supportive of his decision. Well, she didn't openly say it, but her thoughts were approving. She never liked Bella because she knew what she was so willing to give up. She was, in the blonde vampire's eyes, throwing her life away for a silly crush.

Bella was only seventeen and he was her first and only boyfriend. Too young to be sure that he was the love of her life. And in some ways, she was right, but he knew that he would never forget her.

He sighed deeply and looked up. He was startled to notice that the sun was almost completely set and he could see the first rays of moon light.

To him and all of his kind, time was a feeble thing. Decades could pass by, and they wouldn't even realize it. When you live forever, you learn to measure time by your memories and not days, months or even years. After all they had already lived so many Januarys, Augusts… etc.

He looked at the Christ's statue once more before he grabbed his leather jacket and abruptly left the room, anxious to find something to distract him of his pain.

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"Are you sure you don't want us to come along?" the short, blonde woman asked as she eyed her only daughter with concern. The wizarding war had ended almost a year ago and she and her husband were very angry at her. She had gone ahead and wiped their memories and sent them to another _continent_ to keep them safe.

Yes, they understood her reasons. She wanted to keep them safe since it was a certain fact that her enemies would try and harm them so they could get their filthy hands on her or her dear friend, Harry Potter. They could not even fathom what would happen if they, or she, died before the war ended or before she managed to locate them and remove the charms. They would never know they had a daughter. They would die in ignorance...

They were mad at her for a long time; almost six months. She had gone back to Hogwarts to give them some space and time.

Until one day they received an owl from Harry (he and Ronald came frequently to visit since they had become an extension of the Granger family. Harry especially was like the son they always wanted but never had and the boy himself felt like he had found a new set of loving parents) that contained a book written about the Golden Trio's female part, the most brilliant young witch of the century and the Muggle Born Princess.

She and Richard read it in a fortnight and were shocked and terrified from what their little girl had gone through and kept secret. Hermione never revealed what part she had in the war or what exactly happened to her. She was always vague and managed to subtly change the subject before they could learn more.

When Helen and Richard read that she had been tortured almost to death by a psychotic bitch, and that she was carved and marked, that she in all honesty had saved Harry and Ron's lives again and again they were both proud and horrified; their baby girl almost died!

They had called Harry and demanded to be taken at Hogwarts.

Needless to say, Hermione was utterly shocked and rendered speechless when she saw her parents. They had fiercely hugged and kissed her, all the time reprimanding her, muttering about that bitch that dared to harm their princess. She was grounded for a year and they finally made up.

Hermione was more than happy. She refrained from pointing out that she was an adult in both the wizarding and Muggle world, therefore they couldn't ground her. But if accepting their punishment meant she was forgiven, she was more than happy to accept.

So now, here she was. Her parents had contacted the headmistress and asked for a special permission to whisk Hermione to a trip to celebrate their twenty year anniversary. They had decided to visit Brazil, specifically Rio de Janeiro for a week before they went to Paris and Hermione back to her school. She was excited to visit the foreign country and especially to find the magical community.

They had just arrived and her parents were dead on their feet, her mother's sleek blonde hair (unlike her daughter's crazy hair, courtesy of her father) was plastered to her forehead. The heat was unbearable and the air wasn't helping them.

Hermione, though, was giddy. Almost jumpy, she had a strong pull to go out and walk around. She was already dressed in a peach colored silk tank top that clung to her curves, skinny dark blue jeans, dark brown flats and a short sleeved brown jacket. She matched it with golden peace sign earrings, a flower shaped ring and a dark grey bracelet with sparkly bits. Her hair was pulled to a high pony tail, a few rebellious frizzy curls hanging loosely around her heart shaped face and her beaded bag that carried her wand, wallet (with both Muggle and wizard money) and her cell phone. She also took a hotel card in case she got lost and needed to show it to a cab driver. Highly unlike her, but still, after the war she always took care of any possible outcomes. A habit, you could say...

"Yes mum, I'm sure," she sighed deeply as she hugged her mum and dad tightly. "Don't forget that I can take care of myself! Don't worry! Go have some rest!"

"Make sure you are back before eleven," her father chirped and she raised an eyebrow.

"We have late night reservations for dinner."

"Okay!" she shook her head, and after a kiss, left. She rubbed her temples as she pressed the button of the elevator. The doors opened with a_ ding _and she stepped in and pressed the basement button. The heavy doors closed slowly, just as the door next to her parent's room opened and out stepped a tall, bronze haired young man.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing...

**A/N: **Mentions of rape ahead, if you are not comfortable with it, go back now...

_**Chapter 2**_

He looked up towards the night sky. The stars were shining brightly and the half moon was reflected to the calm water of the ocean. He felt oddly calm as he stood there, watching the stars and thinking that even though he was so far away from _her,_ they were still under the same sky and saw the same stars and moon. It was strangely... comforting.

His hands were shoved in his pockets, he knew that would do him no good, his skin will remain ice cold, but he didn't care. For that precious moment his heartache had ceased and he only felt contentment. His cell phone rung and when he saw Alice's number, he scowled and snapped it shut. He loved her, he really did, but sometimes his favorite sister became a pain in the arse. She always had to call in the most inappropriate times possible!

Another ring... this time he flipped open his phone and silently read the message.

_Go back to your hotel... the same way you left..._

He frowned but had a feeling that if he returned the call, she would refuse to give him a good excuse for telling him this. He stood motionless for a long minute, contemplating if he should follow her orders but in the end, he sighed heavily, glared at the silver device, and, angrily shoved it into his pocket and sharply turned around to return to his hotel room for another torturous night.

Half way there, he caught the thoughts of a scar faced man who was facing a young brunette girl...

He froze, memories of a similar situation from a year ago came to the forefront of his mind and hot white fury blinded him as he ran to the direction the man and the girl were.

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Hermione walked rapidly, her breath coming in short pants as she fought the urge to start running. But she couldn't do that... That way she would give away that she knew that man was following.

It all started ten minutes ago. When she left the hotel, she had no idea where she would go so she just started walking aimlessly around. She made a point to notice street names and the turns she took so she would be able to return back on her own. She had eventually reached a small bar,_ Emporio. _The bartender was a tall, curvaceous woman with a friendly face who knew English. She had noticed her curious gaze and called her in.

Her name was Giselle; she was twenty three years old and was hoping to become a model soon. She took it upon herself to learn English so that when she went to USA, she wouldn't feel so out of her loop. Hermione immediately liked her.

She was cheerful, funny, and smart and didn't judge her by her appearance but her mind. She reminded her of Fleur somehow.

She ended up staying there for an hour, drinking a _Caipirinha_ (a mix of sugar cane spirit _-cacha__η__a-_, crushed lime, white sugar and ice, which was a big hit among foreigners that visited Brazil), following Giselle's advice and loving it. She unfortunately had to leave, but Giselle gave her her number and Hermione made sure to get the address of the bar so she could come again the following night. She promised to call her first thing in the morning so they could meet and see the town.

She left with a big smile on her face and a warm, elated feeling in her heart.

But half way to her hotel she felt her magical aura tingling and her heart froze. She knew when she was in danger, her senses were still sharp after the war, and now, they were in red alert. She kept her ears open and soon she heard the heavy footsteps of a man following her. She grasped her bag tightly and casually brought her reading glasses to her face, whilst casting a silent, wandless _supersensory charm_. Her heartbeat took off when she caught sight of a tall, dark haired man with scars all over his face following her. His hands were deep in his coat pockets, where she knew he was hiding his wand.

_Antonin Dolohov..._

The bastard had survived the Final Battle and was arrested and thrown to Azkaban. Unfortunately for the wizarding society, the Wizengamot had sent Dawlish to escort him to his trial. Everyone knew about Dawlish's incompetence and it was proven when the bound,_ wandless_ prisoner managed to kill the Auror and escaped with his wand. He was on the run ever since and Kingsley had warned her that the deranged man had developed an obsession with her ever since their first encounter in the Ministry of Magic during her fifth year. He kept muttering her name in his sleep and telling to the Aurors that he had high plans for his sweet, pretty Mudblood.

And now he was just behind her. How in the name of Merlin he found her? And most importantly, what she was supposed to do?

The most logical answer was to return to her hotel, where she would be safe. She had placed protective enchantments on her floor to keep her family safe. But what would happen if that man caught her parents alone? She couldn't very well make them hide in their room or make them go away! It was their anniversary!

So, that left her with one option.

She breathed deeply to calm her fear and took a sharp turn to her right, towards the dark alleys she saw earlier, all the while gripping her wand tightly and silently raising a shield around her. The timing was perfect because the moment she stepped in the dark, she heard his malicious chuckle.

_"Stupefy!"_

The red jet of light crashed on her shield and bounced back on him. He cursed loudly and side stepped it.

_"Petrificus Totalus!" _she thought, but he was fast and deflected it.

_"Crucio!" _he rasped aloud and she gulped as she dodged it. She had no wish to feel that horrible curse ever again. He laughed darkly.

"Give up, girl! You cannot defeat me! Surrender and I might spare you. After all, it would be a shame to kill someone as... lovely as you!" he licked his lips as he lustily let his eyes travel the length of her body. She felt bile rise in her throat as she realized what exactly he planned on doing to her. That evil bastard wanted to_ rape_ her!

"Over my dead body!" she spat as she sent another stunning spell at him. His dark laugh sent disgusted shivers down her spine.

"We'll see about that, lovely!" he sneered at her. _"Imperio!"_

Hermione panicked. _"Protego Totalus!"_

A big blue shield burst from the tip of her wand and blocked the curse, sending it flying to her right. Dolohov's face twisted in fury.

"Smart mudblood!" he hissed, enraged. _"Putrescerus Internus!"_

She immediately recognized the vivid violet color of the spell he had hit her during the Ministry fight. According to Madam Pomfrey, the spell had no outside effects, but caused the internal organs to rot, causing the victim a slow, agonized death. The cure was until twenty years ago nonexistent, but seeing as the Death Eater loved to use it, the Healers at St Mungo's managed to create a cure. She managed to avoid the fatal curse by an inch, as the purple light crashed through her shield and grazed her sleeve, leaving a burned line.

She was too scared and she fleetingly thought about her family and friends, therefore giving the man enough time to disarmed her.

_"Expelliarmus!"_

She gasped when her wand went flying to the air. With a flick of his wand he had it in his grasp and turned a maliciously saccharine smile at her, whilst throwing away the piece of wood. She trembled violently as she proudly rose, her chin high. She leveled him with a steady, icy, disgusted stare. She knew she had lost; she was careless, her restless nights had made her vulnerable. She knew now and she was about to pay for her mistake.

Dolohov took the necessary steps toward her, his wand traced between her eyes as his smile got bigger and bigger, the lustful glint in his eyes. He reached her and traced her face with his wand, her hairline, down her button nose, her cheekbone, the curves of her full lips and her long neck. His breath accelerated as he ran his wand to her collar bone, he harshly pushed her jacket away and exposed her silk blouse that was exposing a little too much cleavage.

He raised a hand and brushed his fingertips over her right breast. That was too much for her. She lifted a hand and violently slapped him.

"Don't touch me you sick bastard!" she screeched as she kicked him in the shin and attempted to run but he swore and flicked his wand, sending her flying to the wall, where she crashed with a sickening _crash_. She felt her body hitting the wall with so much force that she was surprised she hadn't broken any bones. She felt a warm sensation in the back of her head; she knew she was bleeding. Her eyes were unfocused and darkness was threatening to overtake her.

For a moment she thought to let herself fall into unconscious, so she wouldn't have to endure what she knew was about to happen but she quickly pushed that thought away. She was Hermione Granger. A Gryffindor... She would stay conscious and fight him till her last breath. If he wanted to take her, then he would have to kill her first...

"Oh!" she cried out when she felt him grabbing her hair and pulling her to her feet. The pain was unbearable as he shoved her to the wall and covered her body with his. "Get off me!" she snarled, kicking and punching, not willing to succumb.

"Feisty aren't you?" he chuckled as he pulled her hands over her head and magically tied them. She screamed in desperate frustration as she kept the fight with her legs. He forced her legs to stop as he pressed his own on top of hers. Much to her shame, hot tears leaked from her eyes as she was silenced as well.

"Now, my Mudblood, we will have fun." he rasped and kissed her roughly. She almost threw up when he bit hard on her bottom lip and took advantage of her pain filled gasp to shove his tongue in her mouth. "Merlin, you taste heavenly! No wonder the_ wolf_ wanted you so badly!" he laughed as his hand grabbed her covered breast and squeezed painfully. She closed her eyes in mortification.

Dear God, she was going to lose her virginity in a dark alley by a man that hated her and she hated back.

_Please somebody help me! _She mentally pleaded, knowing there was no hope for her...

She sobbed openly now as his harsh hands ripped her silken shirt plainly in half, the torn pieces hanging at her sides, exposing her torso to his hungry eyes. He fondled both her breasts over her black lacy bra and lowered his mouth.

She closed her eyes and let a silent scream as she felt him lick her. When his hands slipped inside her jeans she knew she was lost...

And then she felt him being ripped away from her body, a loud sickening crunch to the opposite wall and a pained scream. The magic that had her bound disappeared and she fell on a heap on the dirty ground. She opened her eyes, not sure what had happened and found herself staring at a bronze haired angel.

"It's okay, you are safe" he spoke softly, calmly, obviously trying not to frighten her. She didn't hear more before darkness took her; he only got a last thought from her.

_Cedric?_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing...

_**Chapter 3**_

Edward ran at his top speed, his dead heart beating ferociously as cold fear gripped his insides. Fear that he would not reach them in time, and that that vile man would manage to harm that girl. The cool Brazilian air ruffled his bronze hair as he expertly flew around people and any obstacles that got in his way. He knew he shouldn't blame himself if he didn't make it on time but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had to save her.

He had seen their fight in the man's mind and he had realized that the two of them were wand carriers; wizard and witch.

He had never crossed paths with any magical person but he knew they existed. Carlisle had met one during his time with the Volturi and the family had allowed him the privilege to read the magical books they possessed along with the several treaties they had sighed with the different European Ministries of Magic.

A whole hidden world where he and his family, and every other beast or half human, were classified as Magical Beasts and were under the Ministry's jurisdiction. The Volturi had offered to take the role of a vampire law enforcement squad, to keep others of their kind under control, but they were still under the magical folk's control; something Caius wasn't very fond off. But he knew that if he tried to start a revolution, they stood no chance. Wizards and witches were much more powerful than them.

And he was heading straight into the middle of a magical duel. Not very smart of him...

But the girl needed help. She wasn't a damsel in distress, he could tell from the way she kept fighting, but everyone needed help some times. He prayed to every god he knew to reach them in time.

And suddenly, he was there. The man was holding the petite young woman against the wall, her shirt ripped open as he molested her. He ground his teeth and sped to him, grasping his shoulder with more than enough force to break it. He violently pulled him from her and threw him to the wall with all his might. He heard several bones breaking; he smelt the blood coming from him as he whimpered in pain.

He knew he was dying...

He didn't give a fuck...

He turned to the girl who seemed disoriented somewhat and he frowned when he smelt blood. Thankfully, magical blood held no appeal to blood drinking species or else he didn't know if he could control himself. He crouched before her and waited for her to look at him. She opened her dazed eyes and he felt his breath leaving his body. Although he could see pain and confusion in their depths, the soft honey -almost gold- orbs were surprisingly wise for her age. She couldn't possibly be more than twenty!

She locked eyes with him and she seemed unsure. He realized that he couldn't read her mind; he hit a wall every time he tried and understood that she was consciously blocking him. So he had to talk to her.

"It's okay, you are safe" he murmured as he tried to convey the truth through his eyes. He saw her honey eyes un-focus and quickly reached out and grasped her before she collapsed to the ground, bringing her soft body to his as he hugged her closer, a soft whisper of her mind (a name, Cedric) to his just before she collapsed. His hand cradled her injured head as he contemplated what to do. His eyes unwittingly landed on her exposed torso and he gasped.

If his body was capable, he knew that he would be cherry red right about now. He drew in an unsteady breath and averted his orbs from her revealed torso. He took off his leather brown jacket and carefully placed it around her shoulders and covered the girl up, all the while keeping his eyes on the wall.

He tried not to think about it, but he couldn't deny the fact that she was truly beautiful. Her long hair was curly and light brown, almost gold, matching the color of her wise and warm eyes that made him feel so small and insignificant before her. She had a thin, faded scar across her throat, like someone had pressed a sharp object there, probably a knife, and from what he saw, a small vertical white scar between her breasts. And he could feel the rough exterior of her skin in her left forearm marking her, even though he couldn't see any visible scars. Probably she had hidden them with magic.

With a shocked gasp he realized why her eyes seemed familiar... He had seen the same aged, wise, and pain filled look on another person's orbs...

_Jasper..._

When he first laid eyes upon the older vampire, he was shocked by his scars and the sorrowful look in his orange eyes. The wise, pain filled orbs that had seen death and destruction. Jasper once told him that even though he had left Maria and the wars almost a century ago, he was still hunted by ghosts of his past._ Once a soldier, always a soldier..._

He gently touched her unconscious, relaxed face, his cold fingertips running down her smooth skin with utter care as he stared at her closed lids.

"You are a soldier," he murmured softly, his cool breath fanning her long bangs. "You grown up faster that you were supposed to. What happened to you, little angel?"

He looked around and located a slim, long piece of wood that resembled the one that man was holding. He put his arm under her knees and easily lifted her. She was even lighter than Bella! And from what he could tell, a little taller as well. He shook his head and collected both what he presumed was her wand and the man's. The man was already dead after all, the blood loss was too great and from his irregular breathing a moment before, he would guess that his lungs were pierced by his fractured ribs. He had deserved it. He had seen enough of his thoughts that he was sure he didn't deserve a chance to life.

With a deep breath, he secured the girl more closely to his chest and started running towards his hotel, just a blur to the naked human eye...

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_Hermione looked around herself fearfully. She was standing in the Death Chamber in the Ministry of Magic. She was all alone. The Veil softly moved as soft, inaudible voices whispered to her, inviting her in and she felt the familiar ache, the hungry need to see who was there, just a step away from her, to see who was hiding behind the alluring Veil._

_The shadows lurking around her whispered encouragements in her ears, prodding her to move, to take that small step and see with her own eyes what was hidden. Maybe she would find Sirius!_

_An excited feeling pool in the pit of her stomach and she fought it with all her might. Her brain was screaming at her to go away, to wake up. It was too dangerous!_

The voices...

_Come..._

Sirius died in there!

_The knowledge..._

What was she doing? Wasn't she the one that screamed at Harry and the rest back then?

_Come and see..._

It was too dangerous!

_We waited so long..._

But...

…_for you..._

...the voices...

_Come..._

_Her lids felt heavy, her muscles relaxed as she lethargically took tiny baby steps towards the arch._

_Yeess... Come!_

"Wake up."

_So close..._

"It's time you wake up; you are asleep for almost ten hours."

_Come..._

_Her hand lifted..._

"Girl, wake up!"

_We've been expecting you..._

_She grasped the silky like fabric..._

_Hermione, no!_

Sirius?

_You don't belong here, not yet!_

_But I'm so tired!_ She mentally whined as she started pulling the veil out of her way.

_Hermione, please! Your parents need you! Harry needs you!_

_What? I'm just dreaming!_ She scoffed.

_No you are not! Wake up!_

_She shook herself and stubbornly pulled the veil. She screamed._

"WAKE UP!"

She bolted up right, her magic exploding around her and throwing the tall man who was hunched over her to the far wall of the grand room. Her eyes were teary, her cheeks felt wet and she knew she was crying in her sleep. Her head was throbbing but when she lifted her hand, found no blood. Her eyes focused now and she could see she was in a luxurious hotel suite, the walls colored a soft beige, silk curtains hiding the windows and the king sized bed was covered in silken gold bedding's.

"That was unexpected." A smooth, amused voice came. Her eyes snapped to the extra person in the room. She was out of her bed in a blink of an eye, her back at the wall opposite where he was standing. Her hand raised, a shimmering blue shield appearing around her.

Hopefully, the man wasn't a wizard. Her wandless magic was powerful but she wasn't strong enough to beat someone without her wand. With sharp eyes she took in the man, evaluating his appearance and categorizing him.

He was tall, much taller than her. She was probably coming to the middle of his throat. He had wild bronze hair that made Harry's look like perfectly coiffed hair. He had pale, perfect skin and dark gold eyes; highly unusual for a human. He was dressed in obviously designer's clothes but quite simple: a black long sleeved shirt, dark blue jeans and dress shoes.

Her eyes narrowed. He wasn't holding a wand. And he didn't seem shocked, surprised or freaked out by her use of magic, merely impressed so he wasn't a simple Muggle.

"Thank Merlin," she muttered under her breath, relieved that she wouldn't get into trouble with the Ministry for performing magic in front of a non magical person. The man's amused eyes widened a fraction, his full lips pulling to the one side forming a sexy, devastating crooked smile that probably had other girls swooning.

She felt a slight tug on her magical aura and realized that he unconsciously used some kind of lust magic on her. She knew some magical creatures were too alluring for a simple human to resist them; they used erotic magic, even though they were totally unaware of that small fact and the wizarding community didn't deem it necessary to inform them...

Nymphs, veelas, vampires, sirens were just a small portion of that kind of magical species. But only three species included males with that ability.

_Satyrs_ used their music to exude the lust magic. _Incubuses_ used their magic while the human was asleep to have sexual intercourse. _Vampires_ and their unnatural good looks made them quite appealing to the human population.

The man before her had two legs and no horns; she didn't feel any part of her body aching so he didn't have sex with her whilst asleep, so that left only one option.

"You have a very interesting mind, you know." came a musical voice, laced with mirth as she looked up, startled. He was watching her with fascination, his head titled to the side, his bangs covering his left eye. A ting of arousal pulsed through her and she realized —mortified— that she had let her mental walls down, and therefore his allure reached her.

She angrily raised them and glared at him.

"Are you a legilimens?" she demanded. He lifted an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes.

"You can read minds?" she asked again. Of course he wouldn't know the magical term!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer:__I own nothing...

_**Chapter 4**_

He was terrified when he felt her pulse drop and her skin get colder with each passing second. Her lids were moving, she was obviously having a nightmare, but that didn't excuse her dying! He shook her once, twice, all the while yelling at her to wake up.

He had gone out of his way to assure her safety, bringing her to his hotel room unnoticed, stitching her up and making sure she had no internal damages to let her die so easily. When tears leaked from closed lids he knew whatever the hell she was dreaming, was a bad,_ bad_ thing.

He grasped her shoulders, shook her violently and screamed.

"WAKE UP!"

Her eyes snapped open, she bolted up right and before he could move away, a pulse of powerful magic exploded out of her and threw him to the opposite wall. He was impressed by her power. He didn't feel any pain but she could take care of herself. He looked at her and he was amused to notice that she was looking around her suspiciously, her honey eyes fleeting from one part of the room to another, trying to solve where she was and probably locating all the escape routes.

"That was unexpected" he airily commented and he almost chuckled when her frantic eyes landed on him. In matter of seconds she was on the wall across from him, her hand raised and a blue force field surrounding her as her eyes took in his form. He could now hear her thoughts, something that for some reason pleased him, and he was highly impressed by how quickly she realized what he was.

And of course he would lie if he didn't admit that he felt smug when she noticed that she was actually affected by his presence. Her thoughts about why exactly that happened were a new revelation to him. So that was the reason, humans seemed to be under a spell when he or his family used their allure?

_Interesting..._

He couldn't help but let her know that she had allowed him access to her mind.

"You have a very interesting mind, you know" he murmured, truly intrigued by the young witch right before him. Her eyes widened and she raised her walls immediately and huffed angrily. Her anger was amusing.

"Are you a legilimens?" she asked and he was startled when a shiver of pleasure run down his spine at the sound of her accented, sweet voice. He fought back his abnormal reaction and lifted a brow to show her that he wasn't aware of what that word meant. She rolled her eyes and scoffed again. "You can read minds?"

"Oh," he laughed quietly at the impatient look on her pretty face.

"Yes,_ oh!"_ she snapped. "Answer the damn question!"

"Are you always this rude to those who save your life?" he asked, his lips quirked to a half smile, the same smile Bella used to love. He fought back the feelings of remorse that threaten to overwhelmed him and he was surprised to notice that it was easier now than just the day previously. He frowned at that little revelation.

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Hermione's eyes rounded at his words.

The night before came crushing down on her, her conscious having pushed it back to protect her but now it was in the front. Dolohov's face flashed in front of her eyes, she felt his hands groping her, his filthy, disgusting lips touching her, his hands going down her jeans and bile rose in her throat.

"Bathroom!" she gasped and before he finished showing her, she lunged at the vast, marble bathroom, kneeled before the toilet and violently puked. Tears started leaking down her eyes as she remembered her hopelessness and the feel of his hands and lips on her skin, the thought that if that vampire hadn't show up, he would-

"It's okay, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it." he was suddenly there, kneeling next to her, his cool hand holding her hair out of her face as she got sick again and again and the other rubbing soothing circles on her back, trying to calm her. "It's okay, you are safe now, he won't hurt you, I promise..."

Her stomach was empty but her sobs were still rocking her body. She attempted to shove him off of her, so she could clean herself but his arms coiled around her and crushed her to his chest, her face tucked under his chin, his hands rubbing her back as he crooned in her ear, her cries echoing in the vast room. He rocked her back and forth and she felt so safe in his arms...

"He's gone, don't worry" he crooned as he lifted them up and steadied her. She fitted perfectly in his arms, her warmth sipping through his clothes and warming his cool skin and her smell was heavenly, like honey and vanilla and roses.

"Thank you" came her meek, small voice as she pulled her head back to look at his eyes. Tear tracks marred her skin but she still took his breath away. For a moment,_ a crazy moment_, he thought about kissing her. And that was bad, really bad.

"No problem" he choked out and she completely pulled back, her small hands wiping her face as she let out a mortified laughter.

"Merlin, look at me! Such a mess!" she smiled back at him shyly. He gave her a fond smile in return.

"It's quite alright. After everything you've been through, you deserve to be a little upset!" he chuckled as he playfully ruffled her hair. He was surprised that he acted that way with a girl he barely knew but he couldn't help but feel relaxed and calm next to her, like he knew her long before today. "Now, I'll let you clean up and go fix the room. When you blew up, you made quite a mess!"

"I'm sorry!" she apologized, her wide, innocent eyes filled with guilt. "I'll fix everything when I'm clean again. My wan- Wait a minute! _My wand_! Oh dear Godric I lost my wand! Oh no, I'm screwe-"

"Will you calm down?" he laughed as he placed his hands on her shoulders and stared in her anxious orbs. She stopped fidgeting abruptly and tensed. He felt it too, the raw electricity that shot up his hands all the way to his toes. He pretended he didn't notice.

"I found it last night... I have it in the bedroom. Now clean up and get changed. I left you a shirt in the bathroom since yours is kind of ruined. I'll fix everything I can and I'll pay for what I can't fix. Money is no problem for me, so don't worry."

He seemed thoughtful for a second and then dropped a quick kiss on her forehead.

She looked at him, shocked, and saw that he was equally surprised by his actions. His brows furrowed and his lips in a thin line. His mouth was open, like he wanted to say something, but then he shook his head, making his unruly hair bounce. He locked eyes with her.

Her breath caught in her throat...

She blinked and he was gone, the door closing with a soft click and she could hear him cleaning the room. She raised a shaking hand to her heart that was beating faster than normal.

"Merlin," she murmured as she started undressing.

She shouldn't have these kind of mixed up feelings for a total stranger. More so because he was a vampire to boot!

She was in love with Ron, her boyfriend for almost a year now. The guy she was in love with for almost six years!

They spent so much together, they've gone through a war for crying out loud! They were happy together and everyone waited for them to announce their wedding. They were the wizarding world's golden couple, more so than Harry and Ginny because they were two of the Golden Trio! He never pressured her to consummate their relationship, they were both virgins and he knew she needed more time, and she loved him for that. And Harry, oh her caring Harry, the little brother she never got, was so happy for them. He even offered them Grimmauld Place as a wedding present. That time was a joke but later, he approached her and told her that even though he was fooling around, he actually meant it that the house was hers. He didn't want to live there; it carried too many sad memories. He was currently rebuilding Godric's Hollow's cottage. He told her Sirius would want her to have the house and the library it included.

Life was perfect, despite her nightmares and depression she knew she will eventually move on, she had her friends and family and they would help her.

But now...

Now that she was under the shower in the hotel room of a stunningly beautiful vampire, she felt so... excited. Yes, she acknowledged his attractiveness, it was part of his species and even though she was immune to his charms -literally!-, she couldn't deny the fact that he was still breath taking handsome. And he made her feel safe...

Probably because he saved her from that vile bastard...

She shivered in the thought of Dolohov. She didn't ask him what happened to him. She remembered the pained howl from last night and she was sure, the vampire hadn't helped him. So Antonin was either seriously and mortally wounded or already dead...

She didn't care either way.

At least her parents-

Oh shit! Her parents! She had totally forgotten about her parents!

She hastily finished showering. Stepping out, she noticed the pile of clothes on the small counter. She quickly changed into her underwater, performing a quick _scourgify_ on them, slipped into her pants and lifted the shirt on eye level.

It was obviously expensive, made of pure silk. Light blue, button down shirt with no sleeves. Probably three times her size. Again, she waved her hand and shrunk it to her own size as she slipped it on and took a whiff, she couldn't resist.

She shuddered at the masculine scent that invaded her senses; musk, something spicy and sweet at the same time.

Really, her hormones were out of control!

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Edward finished the room in less than five minutes. He looked up when he heard the shower turning on and he realized that she was in there... taking a shower... _naked._

"Oh fuck," he exhaled shakily, running a hand through his tousled hair as he chanced a look at the bathroom door. He didn't know why she affected him so; he never had felt something this strong about Bella!

When he was with her, he was overcome with the intense need to protect her, to secure and love her. Yes, he was sexually attracted to her, especially when they kissed on her bed and her small hands touched his bare skin. But he always stayed in control. Sometimes it was harder than others but he knew he could hurt her if he tried to have a physical relationship with her. As Emmett crudely put it, if he didn't find a good, pretty vampire, he would remain celibate all his long, eternal life. An immortal virgin...

A soft, pleased moan came from the bathroom and he felt himself reacting. He swore under his breath and walked to his balcony. The sun was bright so stepping out was out of the question. And thinking about his sexual life, or the lack therefore, wasn't a good idea when a beautiful woman was showering in his bathroom. A woman that made him fantasize about throwing her against the wall and taking her roughly… _No, not a good idea…_

"What's wrong with me?" he sighed as he looked up at the holy statue. He nearly jumped when his cellular phone started ringing and he had it in his hands immediately.

_Alice..._

"You knew, didn't you?" was his first words to his favorite sister, his teeth clenched and suddenly very angry.

_"Calm down, and yes, I did know. Would you prefer not to know? You know what would have happened in that case..." _she snapped back, her soprano higher than normal.

"No I wouldn't... But a little warning would have been nice!"

_"I did try to warn you, Edward! You didn't answer the phone, remember?" _she sounded exasperated and for some reason, pleased with herself._ "I didn't have time to type the reason, you needed to move pronto! Hermione is a good girl; she didn't deserve that happening to her..."_

"Who?" he asked, his eyebrows bunched up in confusion. Alice sighed heavily.

_"Hermione... The girl in your room? Please tell me you asked her name!"_

"Um-"

_"Oh why do I even bother? Just take her out to dinner or something! I don't have more time; I need to go find Rosalie before she kills that saleswoman, bye!"_

"Wait, Alice!" he stared at his phone, pouting. Only Alice could bring this reaction from him.

"Your girlfriend?" came an amused voice and he looked up to see Hermione, her hair up into a ponytail, still wet as she regarded him with her honey orbs. He rather liked how she looked with his shirt... Now if only she wore _only_ his shirt...

"My sister, actually." he smiled, hiding his inner thoughts. She smiled back and looked around.

"I think we have a small issue. Or two, to be precise..." she said with a lifted brow. He motioned with his hand to show her he was listening and she smiled. "Well, I would like to thank you, but I don't know your name..."

He laughed.

"You are right" he shook his head and approached her, a hand extended. She took it without hesitation and shook it firmly. "I'm Edward Cullen, as you are aware, a vampire and mind reader..."

With a chuckle she responded: "Hermione Granger, witch and apparently in your debt... And I think I will be grounded for another decade at least!"

"Your parents?" he asked, quickly catching up to her meaning and she nodded with a sigh.

"They must be worried sick!"

"In which hotel are you staying? Maybe we can get you there before they notice and you can say you slept in!" he offered, hoping she wouldn't refuse his help. He wasn't ready to part ways with her... Not now...

She mentioned the name of her hotel and he burst out laughing.

"What?" she asked clearly amused.

"That's where we are now!" he laughed and she looked around, startled. "Tenth floor, suite 103!""

Now it was her turn to laugh. "My parents are your next door neighbors! My room is down the hall!"


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing...

_**Chapter 5**_

It turned out; it was easier to fool her parents than they thought. Hermione told them she had visited a nice little bar a few streets down the road (true) and had met Edward there. They realized they were staying at the same hotel and started talking. Hermione, because she was light headed, got a little tipsy and Edward brought her in her room. She fell asleep immediately and didn't hear her door banging or her phone ringing. When she woke up, she went to thank him and that's why her parents caught them stepping out of his room together.

The Granger's thanked him heartily and invited him to join their lunch. Hermione snickered but said it was something she remembered after a glare from Edward. He politely declined since he had plans for the day. He mainly stayed inside, since the sun was high, but asked Hermione to dinner for a talk.

She agreed and they planned to meet after sunset.

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He casually leaned against the doorframe as he waited for her to open her door. He could hear her moving around, cursing and stumbling. When she threw open her door, he almost fell down in surprise. She was so beautiful that he felt tongue tied for the first time in his life.

She was wearing a strapless soft dress that hugged her chest and fell to her sandal clad feet. It was violet with turquoise and orange flowers on her bosom and from the knee down. She had matched it with a medium sized turquoise floral shaped ring, a red leather clasped necklace, black and violet hoop earrings, about ten bracelets all on her left wrist and a suede light brown bag that perfectly matched her light brown sandals.

On top of her head, used as a headband was a pair of thin sunglasses, her thick golden hair tied to a high pony tail, straightened so they reached the middle of her back. She didn't wear an ounce of makeup but she still managed to look more beautiful than any model he could think of.

"Hello," she smiled at him as she stepped out the door and closed it carefully.

"Hi," he breathed and led her to the elevator.

The trip to the restaurant was quiet; they both spent the ten minute walk there staring at the people around them, laughing and smiling constantly at the two foreigners that passed them by. Hermione wasn't fidgeting, he noticed, unlike most women that found themselves in his presence. No, she walked with her chin held high, her hands clasped to her back and a happy smile on her lips. She was enjoying the evening breeze that made her shiver.

"You picked _that?_" she couldn't help but ask as he gently grabbed her elbow and led her to a very expensive looking restaurant. "You do realize I'm the only one that can actually eat right?"

He laughed, amused by her attitude. "Yes I'm aware!"

"Now that we breached that topic…" she spoke through her teeth as the _maître d' _actually bowed before them before he led them to the tastefully decorated terrace that hosted a private table for two. They had a magnificent view of the city and the ocean on the horizon. The final rays of the setting sun had painted the green-blue waters orange and Hermione forgot what she wanted to say. She walked to the edge and looked ahead, mesmerized by the view.

"Stunning, isn't it?" she literally jumped when she heard Edward's soft spoken words. She had forgotten he was with her. She didn't turn around to look at him, she only nodded.

"Yeah."

Edward took the time she ogled the ocean to study the young witch.

She was truly beautiful, her honey eyes sparkling with life and confidence and her slightly bushy brown locks had a mind of their own, giving her a wild look that matched her personality. He was reminded of Bella, the only other human girl he had spent so much time together and gotten so close.

The two girls were similar in some ways: the same soft, creamy skin, the same kindness and warmness in their eyes all the time and the same round, doe like eyes.

But their differences were much more significant.

Bella was beautiful in the_ girl-next-door _kind of way. She always tried to please others before herself and always managed to need saving. She was weak, needing someone stronger than her to depend on. Her self esteem was very low, she thought herself unworthy and had idolized Edward.

Hermione on the other hand was strong in her own right. She could fight her own fights but wasn't afraid to admit she needed help. She had an exotic air even though her appearance could be described as common, and her whole demeanor spoke of confidence. She was so sure of herself that she managed to attract a lot of attention, even if there was a more beautiful woman in the room with her. He knew it was probably her magical aura that emanated from her but he knew it was more than that. Her cheery, kind and wise personality made her an interesting person to speak to.

He wanted to ask her so many questions about her life, the magical world, her and her scars...

"Edward?"

He looked up, startled, and noticed Hermione waving her hand in front of his face, frowning.

"What?"

"Are you okay?" she tilted her head to the side, giving him a nice view of her naked shoulder and throat, the blue veins catching his eye. He swallowed heavily.

"Um... yeah. Just lost in thought that's all!" he laughed, embarrassed as he helped her sit and sat across from her. She graced him with a thankful smile and picked up the menu.

After they ordered ―Edward was quite surprised when she ordered _Caipirinha_ and she huffed and told him that in the wizarding world, she could drink alcohol since she was older than 17― they resumed their conversation, wanting to learn more about each other.

"You go first," Hermione offered gracefully as she took a sip of her drink and unfolded the napkin over her thighs. They had sent the waiter away and Edward avoided looking at the human food in front of him. Hermione assured him that she'll take care of the food when it was time.

"Well," he intertwined his fingers and rested his chin on them as he smiled at her.

"When I rescued you and you fainted, your last thought..." he seemed uncomfortable."…was a name-"

"Cedric," she cut in, her tone neutral as she poked her meat and took a small bite. He nodded and she chewed thoroughly before she answered. She leveled him with a steady gaze and he fought back a flinch. The intensity of her gaze unnerved him. "Do you know of Hogwarts?"

He furrowed his brows. "Carlisle ―my father, the one who sired me― mentioned that name. It's a school, right?"

"Indeed." she sighed and focused on him. "Hogwarts is one of the three top wizarding schools in Europe along with Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. It's located in Scotland and every witch or wizard receives an invitation on their 11th birthday to attend. Seven years of magical education. During our fourth year, a tournament took place amongst the three schools and each was represented by a champion, a student chosen by a magical artifact. Three schools, three champions. Except that, due to certain circumstances, my best friend was chosen as well. Someone elected him and he was selected even though he was underage. Our rightful champion was Cedric Diggory. He was a sixth year and one of the best men I had ever met. He was the golden boy of Hogwarts, the official heartthrob and one of the best students in his year. Even though it isn't a known fact, I had become friends with him. I met him in the library during my research for the tournament and we started talking. He was like an older brother. I came to care about him, not in a romantic way but in a more familiar, sibling way."

"What happened?" he inquired softly, noting the way she spoke of him in the past tense and the way her bright eyes had dulled to bronze pools of sadness.

"He died, _murdered_ by a psychotic dark wizard. He didn't do anything wrong, he was just there at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was only seventeen; he had so many plans. He wanted to be an Auror and have seven children, his very own Quidditch team..." she rubbed her eyes, fighting back tears as she stubbornly refused to show her weakness. She knew if the tears started then they'll never stop. She will remember all the others she lost during the horrible war.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, torn between sadness and curiosity.

"No, don't be." she shook her head and smiled at him. "It was my last thought because you look remarkably like him. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn you were his twin brother!" she laughed heartily, trying to push the morose thoughts out of her mind.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, not knowing what else to say. He looked like a dead person she obviously cared about. What was he supposed to do?

"Don't you have something else to ask me?" she probed and he sighed, relieved.

"Your eyes," he stopped, not knowing how to proceed and she looked at him, confused.

"My eyes?"

"They remind me of my brother's. He was sired during the American Civil War by a female vampire that wanted to create a newborn army."

"Oh!" she nodded, her perplexed expression lightening. "I know about the newborn wars; a very bloody part of the history, both human and vampiric. And all because of that crazy fool, Benito."

"Yes," he murmured, surprised and impressed by her extended knowledge of their world. "His eyes always seem sad, wise beyond his years. Well, he is almost two hundred years old, give or take fifty years but you know what I mean..."

"Indeed." now she looked away, her eyes distant. "Your brother knows what it feels like to be a soldier; to have fought in a war."

"A _war_?" he repeated, outstand as she smiled melancholically at him, her hand unconsciously drifting to her left forearm to trace the invisible scar.

"Yes, a war. It's a long story" she warned, but he just smirked.

"We have time!" he winked but she didn't smile.

She ate very slowly. It took her more than an hour to finish her sad tale of how the dark wizard, Voldemort, had caused so much pain because of his sick and twisted views of the world. How he went after a _baby_ and killed so many people, destroyed so many lives and all the prejudice and hate she received because of her background. He snarled when she talked about her torture and she smiled sadly at him.

"It's okay now, Edward. Please, calm down."

The end of the war left a bittersweet taste on his tongue and he was glad it was over but so many had perished.

"I-I don't know what to say,"

"Then don't say anything." she shrugged simply and sipped her drink, smiling when the waiter came to collect their dishes so they could eat their desserts.

"Your hand; I can't see a scar." he pointed to her forearm that Hermione had been clutching throughout her story.

"Oh, that's because I glamour it. Magically cover it" she corrected when he raised his questioning eyes at her.

"Why? Why not the others as well?"

"Um, you see," she seemed uncomfortable. "After the war, Harry, Ron, and I became somewhat of celebrities, you know war heroes and all. People kept coming and asking me to show them the scar and after a while, I became so frustrated that I started to cover it. Harry was quite upset he couldn't do that to his scar but you can't magically hide a scar caused by dark magic."

"I see," he nodded and then smirked. "A celebrity, huh? Should I ask for an autograph?"

"Should I chop you into little pieces and set your arse on fire?" she answered back sweetly and he burst out laughing. The waiter looked at him weirdly as he placed Hermione's cheesecake in front of her and the chocolate fudge in front of him. "I hope you know that fudge is mine after I finish this" she indicated the yellow dessert.

"Oh really? And what about me?"

She looked at the chocolate dessert intensely. "Nope, not an ounce of blood! It's mine!"


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing...

_**Chapter 6**_

"Tell me about your family." she asked as they walked on the beach, her hands grabbing her dress as Edward held her sandals while he leisurely walked a step ahead of her. The air was cool, messing with their hair and causing shivers to run down Hermione's body. After five minutes, she calmly took out her wand and cast a warming charm on herself. She offered to do the same for him but he just laughed at her.

"What do you want to know?" he gently asked, his hands shoved into his jeans pocket as he looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Everything!" she ran in front of him, smiling enormously. She started walking backwards, emitting a soft laugh from Edward.

"What are their names, who changed who, how are they like, why did you choose to feed from animals, where do you live, _everything_?"

He stared at her thoughtfully.

"We are seven..." he started and kept his eyes on hers as they walked. His story was shorter than hers, even though it covered more years. He told her about his life as a human ―what he could remember that is― how Carlisle (who she was shocked to realize was the same Stregoni Benefici she had written a paper about) found and changed him.

About Esme and her love with Carlisle, how he first met the arrogant but ethereal beautiful Rosalie Lillian Hale and her tragic story. He talked about Emmett and his strong hatred for bears ever since he almost died because of them and how he called Rosalie his angel and Carlisle, God. Eventually he told Hermione about his favorite sister, Alice, who had a special gift, the Sight. They had found them with her mate Jasper, who was an empath.

He told her about the Volturi and how they spent their time repeating school again and again to continue the human facade.

"And why are you here? Alone?" she asked softly as she stared at him with her welcoming honey orbs. "I can tell you care about them and that you miss them. Why aren't you with them?"

He remained silent as they walked and she didn't pry.

"We moved to Forks almost three years ago."

She nodded. He had told her about their treaty with the Quileute tribe of shape shifters and she refrained from telling him that the shape shifting gene in them was probably activated when his family set foot on Forks. The Quileute tribe was one of the many magical beasts' communities they had studied at Hogwarts. She knew that the gene was activated when a vampire was present for an extended period of time.

"...And this January, the police chief's daughter returned. Her name is Isabella Marie Swan, or as she prefers to be called, Bella." His laugh was soft and tender; his eyes were alight with affection. "She is my singer."

"Pardon?"

"For every vampire, there's a human that his or her blood smells like no other. When we come across that person, we can barely resist. The majority cannot, but I fought it. That's the reason we feed from animals. We don't want to be monsters."

"Oh," she studied his face intently as he tried to avoid her searching eyes.

"I couldn't read her mind. I tried to be distant but when we started talking, I realized that she was different and an accident prone! The next day of our first chat, she was almost crashed by a van. I saved her and she noticed that I moved unnaturally fast. I denied it and begged her to keep quiet. Rose and Jasper wanted to kill her. But to all of our surprise, she kept our secret. I avoided her but I couldn't stay away for long... I..."

"You had fallen in love with her." Hermione softly whispered and he looked hard at her. Her smile was soft and her eyes free of any judgment.

"Yes... and she loved me back."

"What happened?" she asked, truly curious to know. Yes, it was unheard of, a vampire to be in a relationship with a human, simply because humans were the main food source of vampires, but the magical community allowed it as long as the human kept his/her mouth shut.

The only truly unthinkable thing was for a vampire to form any kind of connection with a witch or wizard.

That kind of relationships always ended in the same way. The human got turned but that was not allowed for magical people. Many centuries ago, it was agreed by the magical community, including the magical beasts, that a wizard or witch would never be turned into a vampire. They were the second most powerful magical creatures in existent, second only to dragons and had many capabilities: speed, strength, senses, a stronger mind, and of course, immortality.

Combined with the powers of magic, the magical vampire would be logically unstoppable. Since he would live forever, he would be able to extend his magical powers to excel to all parts of magical knowledge and no one would be able to defeat him/her.

If that wizard/witch chose to turn evil, then the world stood no chance. Even under threat, all vampires refused to change magical people. So it was absolutely forbidden for a witch or wizard to be with a vampire.

Hermione knew that very well and she silently pondered that in her mind as she heard Edward speaking about all the dangers Bella got herself into: James, Victoria and Laurence. And his constant inner turmoil about doing what was best for her. He told her how, after the tragic incident in her last birthday, he decided to leave her.

"And here I am now. The last traces of Victoria ended here but I'm sure she tricked me. I'm not a very good tracker." he admitted sheepishly.

"Hm." she smiled, her mind still preoccupied with thoughts of what exactly would happen if the Ministry of Magic knew she was hanging out with a vampire. They would be upset, that's for sure. But as long as things remained platonic between them, then they had no reason to intervene.

Yes, as long as she didn't act on that ridiculous attraction she felt towards the bronze haired vampire next to her, they were fine.

"I think it's time we return. It's almost midnight!" she chuckled, fighting the blush that threatened to tint her cheeks. She managed to avoid thinking about her feelings for the whole duration of their time together and now she had ruined all her efforts!

"Sure," he answered quietly, watching her face perplexed. She was all of a sudden flustered and she avoided his eyes.

They made meaningless conversation on their way to the hotel and all the way up to their rooms. Edward found himself growing a little annoyed by her constant refusal to meet his stare. She practically ran to her room and unlocked the door. She turned to him with a huge smile that he immediately recognized as a forced one.

"Thanks for the lovely evening, Edward." she murmured and he cocked his eyebrow but smiled nevertheless.

"You are welcome. I hope we can repeat it before you go." he offered, searching her eyes for the reason of the immediate change of attitude.

"Um, sure." she sighed as she stepped inside her room. She smiled warmly at the vampire before she shut the door at his face.

She closed her eyes as she threw herself on her bed, not caring about wrinkling her dress. She remembered at the last minute to not talk out loud, Edward's super hearing was a little annoying after all.

From the moment she opened her eyes and saw him, she felt a strange fluttering in her chest. She knew it wasn't love, she was sure of that.

She didn't believe that what Edward and the human girl had had been love either. She was seventeen and he was her first boyfriend. According to Edward, they had fell in love within weeks. How was that possible?

_Yes,_ she thought,_ they had feelings for each other… but love was pushing it._

Now what Harry and Ginny had, that was love. Harry didn't leave her because he wanted to. He didn't spent all his time blaming himself, always thinking that he would hurt Ginny. No, he stayed with her until it was the absolute necessary time to let her go. And then, he returned to her.

Hermione had only seen four couples who were so obviously in love: Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, her parents, and Tonks with Lupin.

Love took time. No matter what she felt for Edward Cullen, it most certainly was _not_ love...

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Edward stayed rooted to the spot outside Hermione's room for thirty seconds, intently listening to the sounds of her landing on her bed and her soft even breaths. He walked to his room, his brows furrowed and his lips in a thin line.

Hermione had gone from carefree and understanding to a fretting mess within seconds.

He may have just met her, but he could tell that in her normal life, she was usually collected and controlled. But tonight, near the end of their time together, she acted like a mumbling teenage mess. She had been lost in thought, simultaneously listening to his story and offering words of advice and sympathy when all of a sudden she turned to the fidgeting, highly uncomfortable girl he had just said goodnight to.

Was it something he said?

No, surely not...

He checked his phone for any messages or missed calls but found none. Apparently, Alice didn't feel the need to mess with him now.

He stripped down to his silk boxers and lay down on his bed with a sigh. He couldn't sleep, but he could stare at the ceiling. It was his favorite pastime after all when he didn't have a piano around. Just laying on his bed and thinking. For the last six months he had only one thought plaguing his mind._ Bella Swan..._

And tonight was no different.

He felt his unbeating heart squeezing painfully as he shut his eyes, trying to bring back the sound of her soft, low voice and her flowery smell. Her pretty heart shaped face and chocolate brown eyes that sparkled every time she stared at him and the feel of her body as he had held her close to him on her bed.

He turned his head to the side, burying his nose to the feathery pillow and inhaling sharply.

_Midnight roses..._

A pale heart shaped face with honey, wise eyes and a sad little smile flashed behind his closed lids and she was smiling at him, her hair wild around her head as she laughed and he felt the burden being lifted from his shoulders.

_"I just knew,"_ came her sweet, gentle voice, answering his question. How did she know what she was supposed to do when she had to decide the course of her life? Stay and fight, or run and hide?

_"The chances were always against us. We were three teenagers against adult wizards that wouldn't hesitate to kill, and we had no plan. Either way, my life was pretty involved. If Voldemort had win, it would only be a matter of time before he moved against the rest of the world. I was actually pretty sure I would be dead before the war ended. But I had to stay. Harry needed me and in some way, I needed him. He's the brother I never had and I would willingly give my life to save his. After all, that's what love is about, isn't it? To put your loved ones before you."_

_Such wise words from a nineteen year old,_ Edward thought as he smiled at the ceiling. He owed Alice a present for making sure he managed to save the brilliant young witch. Within twenty four hours, she managed to change his life without even trying. She brought light to his endless darkness. His light had diminished when he left Bella back in Forks. Surprisingly, if you think the amount of darkness that surrounded her, there were so many scars that littered her perfect, unblemished skin.

The image of her damaged skin, carved by a knife when she lifted the charm and allowed him sight of the cursed word flashed to his mind and he felt venom filling his mouth, his veins pulsing with suppressed hate.

He should have tortured the bastard that dared to touch her!

The image of her terrified form on a heap on the ground, her shirt ripped in two and blood oozing from her head wound caused him to shudder. She was still fighting with her inner demons, he could tell. But he had no doubt that she would end up victorious.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing...

_**Chapter 7**_

Every day, she went into tourist's attractions with her overenthusiastic parents, tried different foods and drinks and shopped until she thought she could no longer. She had bought gifts for everyone back at school and more than enough useless junk that she saw and just _had to have_ to remind her of that trip.

Her mother was always carrying around her digital camera, snapping photos of everything, even local people who just laughed, amused at her enthusiasm and posed gracefully. Hermione herself posed with them as her parents wished to and she couldn't say no. They took hundreds of photos of their family to remember the time they spent there.

They had an early breakfast at their hotel and had lunch at various small diners. Hermione even took her parents for an early drink to the bar where she had met Giselle. The young woman was happy to see her new English younger friend.

Her nights, though, were spent in the company of a handsome and very intelligent vampire that seemed set on making her vacation quite memorable. She knew the minute she got in her room every day that when the sun was set, he would be there.

And she was right.

They had gone for long walks to the beach, around town, even to the movies where he was forced to translate the movie quietly to her ear since she kept glaring at him for picking a Spanish movie. His cool breath on her exposed shoulders and neck always managed to send a shiver down her spine, that he thankfully thought was due to the slight night breeze. He had admonished her for wearing light clothes and not carrying a jacket with her but she secretly wanted to have him lent her his jacket, so she could have a sniff of his delicious fragrance.

Restaurants were forced upon her, she much preferred fast food since he didn't eat after all, but he was adamant that she should eat a proper meal. So they had gone to practically all expensive restaurants near their hotel, always having a fight over the bill, and Edward always winning, since he had the smarts to leave his credit card to the maître so she wouldn't be able to pay. She only had cash; witches and wizards had no credit cards and she never felt the need to obtain one. She regretted it now...

Unfortunately, the unwanted feelings never went away. Instead, they grew stronger each minute they spent together and she came to think that Merlin was testing her love for Ron by putting her intellectual equal in front of her when she had started to think that her life was finally getting on the road.

Edward was her other half.

He enjoyed reading as much as she did and solitude when he needed to think. He didn't feel the need to chat constantly or when they found themselves into comfortable silence. He was smarter than the average, probably due to the endless amount of time in his hands, and he could understand her dilemmas and hard choices she had to make before and after the war.

Spending time with him made her realize how much different she was with Ron. And even though opposites attract, her and Ron were opposites to all the wrong places. She loved the quiet and alone time, he always wanted to talk and be around people. He wanted a big family; a good housewife taking care of his children whilst he was away at work. She wanted no more than three children and an equal partnership in her marriage. She had dreams and plans for her career, which Ron had laughed at, saying that after she became pregnant, all that she would have to worry about was their family and that the work was to be left for him.

In a few words, Ron wanted a family like his own, where the mother stayed home, taking care of the kids, and the father worked and she was used as a baby factory. Not her ideal future, but she hoped that she would eventually make him understand that she had her own plans. After all, they loved each other.

And everyone expected them to tie the knot soon. It was a given they would end up together after all...

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Edward felt happier than he could ever remember to be since that fateful day this past September. Hermione made him feel alive and warm. He actually looked forward to every night when he would drag her out of her room, amidst protests and threats to his person and the amused smiles of her parents. They would walk around the vast city, visiting clubs and diners she would never visit with her parents.

Every time he saw her, he was mesmerized by her warm beauty and intelligence.

They talked about everything, although their favorite pastime was debating about historical events and their significance. He was surprised by the fact that a lot of these events had very different interpretations when added the factor of magic in the mix.

Apparently, more than enough historical figures were influenced by a magical person to act a certain way, to serve the magical community's interests. Also, how the magical community had to cover a magical attack or accident, claiming a natural disaster or a simple accident, more recently the attacks at London and UK in general.

Having now the knowledge of how exactly the wizarding world worked, Edward could see that a lot of things he had always took for granted were not stable.

The vampiric history was his favorite topic, he didn't know much about it, but Hermione knew about everything. According to her, there were a lot of laws, forbidding a union between a vampire and a magical person, and more importantly the transformation of said magical person to a vampire. That made him pause and think about his relationship with her.

It was forbidden.

Not their friendship per se, but anything more would result to his execution and her imprisonment if she was found guilty of wanting to change to a vampire. It was a hard world but she loved it. It was her world after all.

He wasn't so happy to learn that she had a romantic relationship with someone; one of her closest friends, Ronald. For some reason, he was enraged when he found out but he could not exactly complain. They were only friends and he had feelings for Bella, who he hadn't thought about, much to his relief. It seemed like the only thing occupying his thoughts now was the brunette young witch who had crawled her way under his skin without him realizing it.

She was beautiful, smart, independent, and a fighter. In other words; the complete opposite of Bella Swan. Yet he found himself oddly attracted to her. Every time he placed his jacket around her slim shoulders he fought the urge to bury his face to the crook of her neck and inhale her heavenly scent deeply. He had a thing for scents, surprise!

Or stop himself from thinking of her very kissable lips every time she smiled or laughed.

He knew spending more time with her was a bad move. He should cut all connections and leave the country. He had spent more time that he had planned to in Rio and he needed to find Victoria soon. But he couldn't bear the thought of not seeing her face every night or hear her gentle voice saying good night to him.

Somehow, in the short time they had spent together, he had developed feelings for the English girl. And he had no idea what to do. He closed his eyes, mortified that it was the night before her last day in Rio. It had been almost a full week since their meeting. Her family's flight was early afternoon the day after tomorrow, so their last night together would have to be an early night, since she needed to pack her things.

They had gone out to dinner and then to a―thankfully English― dubbed movie and had just gotten back to their hotel. He had as always walked her to her room, carefully listening in to her parents' thoughts (they were otherwise occupied), and leaned against her doorframe to see her in.

She unlocked the thin wooden door with her card key and turned to smile at him. She was dressed in a silk green, short sleeved blouse with black round neck line, dark brown skinny jeans, a golden necklace and high heeled wooden pumps. Her hair was let down and wild around her makeup free face.

She looked breathtaking, the green color bringing out the gold and green specks in her eyes and he had trouble keeping his eyes away from hers. They were standing almost chest to chest, her face lined to his neck. Her face titled up to stare at his darker -than- usual eyes and smiled her gentle smile.

"Thanks for another lovely night, Edward" she offered pathetically. She could feel her cheeks heating up under his heated stare and she knew his thoughts were not as pure as she wished them to be. Fighting her own attraction had been hard but after their third night, she had come to the startling and highly _unwanted_ realization that it was not a one-sided thing; he wanted her as much as she wanted him, so her fight became two times more difficult. It was hard resisting the urge to kiss him when she knew he would welcome the motion.

_Crap, crap, crap..._

"You're welcome." he answered back, his tone lower than normal and almost husky in quality. She swallowed visibly, his eyes following the movement of her throat as she cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Um... see you tomorrow?" she choked out and took a step inside the room. He took one closer, placing himself just inside the room; a first time thing. He avoided going in her room like it was holy soil. She almost squeaked in alarm._ Not good, not good, not good..._

"Yeah," he breathed out and leaned his face closer to hers. He really didn't know what got into him, but he just couldn't go without satisfying his need. "Good night," he whispered huskily as he slowly lowered his mouth to her warm cheek. His hands were shoved to his pockets in an attempt to stop himself from grabbing her and shoving her against the wall and kissing her roughly, like he wanted for longer than he cared to admit.

Her own breath hitched as she felt his cold, marble-like lips press to her cheek that felt like it was on fire. She instinctively clenched her thighs together, the heat pulling in her lower abdomen making her feel light headed.

He didn't pull back; his lips caressed her cheek and slowly, _so slowly _let butterfly kisses on her left cheek, then her right. Her forehead followed under his searching mouth and he trailed them ever so slowly to her ear. They both gasped when he unconsciously bit it softly. Her hands landed on his hard chest and grasped the soft material of his shirt, not knowing what to do, push him away or pull him closer.

Thankfully he took the initiative and pulled back, his eyes dark gold, almost black as he stared at her like she was the sweetest dessert he had ever taste. Without a word, he turned around and walked to his room. She closed her door, leant against it and closed her eyes, trying to catch her panting breath.

There went her self control out the window...

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"You seem troubled, sweetheart." her mother's voice made her look up from her vanilla-caramel ice cream. They were once again in a small bistro near the beach, having spending their last day in Rio de Janeiro shopping and taking more pictures. Her father had put his foot down, claiming that he was ready to pass out from the lack of food so they ended up in that small cute coffee shop he had spotted their first day in the city.

She wasn't particularly hungry, so she only ordered _acaraje_; fried balls of shrimp, black-eyed peas, and onions, a traditional Brazilian food that she had tasted her second day and loved. Her parents thought fitting to order local dishes since it was their last meal in the foreign country as a family. The next day, they would be too busy packing and checking out from the hotel, so they would eat when they 'ld arrived back home.

They picked _acaraje_ as appetizers, looking concerned at their only daughter for not ordering a proper meal. Her mother picked_ feijoada_ -a black bean, beef and pork stew rooted- as her main course while her father picked _Moqueca de peixe_, a coconut fish stew. As dessert, her mother insisted on the passion mousse cake and forced Hermione to eat as well.

She chose her favorite drink, _Caipirinha_ whilst her parents chose_ Guarana, _a non alcohol juice that tasted heavenly in their opinion.

She kept thinking about the night before, it was the first night Edward had actually touched her like that; more than friendly hugs or light touches. Somehow last night seemed more personal, more _sensual_ and she feared what surprises tonight was holding for both of them...

She tried to listen to her parents talk, but her mind was so confused that after a minute, she dosed off and they actually noticed.

"Is something the matter?" her sweet, caring father asked. "You know you can talk to us, honey."

She almost choked at his words. She knew what her father would do if she told him her current thoughts.

_Well daddy, you see, I have a problem. I found myself sexually attracted to Edward. You know the guy I barely know that I found myself obsessing over for the past week? And, oh yes, he is a vampire! You know__,__ the blood drinking kind? What do you think I should do?_

A heart attack was the most likely reaction for her overprotective father. As all fathers with their daughters, no matter how old their daughters were, they saw them like their little babies. And always thought that they were still as pure and innocent as the day they were born. Unless said daughters admitted to having sexual intercourse's -never going to happen-, they will always be shocked beyond belief when said innocent and pure daughters announce a pregnancy...

Apparently, for the paternal mind, a marriage involving his only daughter is one where the spouses have a platonic relationship. Every father's dream!

Her mother was probably the calmer one, giving her advice for protection, then running back to her room and crying her eyes out to the fact that her little daughter was growing up to become a woman.

Typical parental reactions...

"No..." she mumbled and didn't miss the mischievous look her mum sent her.

"Maybe you are thinking about missing a certain ginger haired someone?" she slyly asked, and Hermione snickered quietly at the suspicious look her father turned on her. If Helen Granger wanted to be sly, then Hermione would be as well.

"No. I'll see Ron soon. After all, I'm going back to school the day after tomorrow." she sighed, faking innocence to her mother's not amused glare.

"I meant _Edward_." her mother pointed out and her father sent death rays at his wife.

"Why would I miss him?" she said with a perfectly composed expression, her eyes conveying confusion that convinced her dad she was being honest. "I hardly know him! He's just a boy that I just happened to spend some time with! I'm just worrying about NEWT's. I only have a few months after all!"

They left her alone after that, her father satisfied that his little girl was not interest in boys and her mother knowing that Hermione was smart enough to make the right decisions...


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing; I only borrowed the characters to create this story.

_**Chapter 8**_

She nervously paced her room, her hands clenched in front of her in an effort to avoid biting her nails in anxiety. She had just arrived and changed to a nice comfortable outfit: a black tight tank top and mid thigh jean shorts with black flats. She had used a clip to pull some of her hair back, leaving the rest to fall on her shoulders and back.

Edward was due any minute now. She consoled herself by remembering that she had placed enchantments around her room to prevent the snooping vampire from hearing anything, so her short lived panic attack was to remain unknown to him.

She had no idea what to expect from him after last night. He took their casual, friendly relationship to another level, which she knew nothing about. It wasn't clearly romantic, since both of them knew about each other's significant partner. Even though he had no plans of getting back to that Bella girl for her own good, Hermione was still very confused about her own future, not including Ron's plans for the both of them.

She checked herself in the human sized mirror once again; she looked decent.

She actually jumped a foot in the air when she heard the soft knock on the door. She stared at the white door like it was hiding a beast behind it and she cursed her cowardliness. She should have pretended to be ill or something; anything to avoid all that completely unnecessary drama that seemed to follow her these past few years.

She blamed Harry. He seemed to attract drama just by breathing and it was obviously contagious. Now she was affected! She shook her head, pushing her irrational thoughts to the back of her mind and grabbed her beaded bag from her bed and went to the door.

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_It's her last day... You won't see her again... She's leaving... She's leaving_ you...

His thoughts were on repeat it seemed.

He came very close to losing control last night, her alluring scent had invited him closer to her and his inhibitions were lowered without his consent. Her creamy skin was as soft as he imagined it to be; he felt like he was running his lips over the finest silk. When her pale cheeks warmed with a blush that he never failed to find adorable, her natural scent intensified and he felt drunk by her fragrance, it was like he had consumed the finest wine on earth.

He recognized that a small part of his attraction to her was a result of her magical blood. He didn't crave her like he craved Bella when he first met her.

That was a normal hunger, he hungered for her blood the same way a human craved a certain food.

But his hunger for Hermione was different. It was the same hunger he had seen in his family's minds when they thought of their mates. It was sexual, ancient, and almost impossible to resist.

But he must...

Hermione might be magical, but she was still a human being. He was more than capable of hurting her and he had to physically stop himself from touching her. Last night was a moment of weakness that he must not repeat. One more night and then she would be gone. An ocean between them; more than a physical obstacle...

He dressed leisurely, taking his time and trying to change his mind and lock himself in that huge suite until she was on her plane home. He had a feeling something would happen tonight. And he wasn't sure they were ready for whatever it was...

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Their night started like every other night of the past week. He knocked on her door, and after a minute, she stepped out smiling, looking absolutely normal.

"Hullo," she closed the door and grasped his offered hand as he guided them to the elevator.

"What's the plan?"

"Nothing special," he shrugged as he fought the shiver that ran down his spine at her touch. He felt an electric shock when they touched and he was sure she felt it too, judging by her troubled look at their clasped hands.

"I didn't think you'll appreciate the fine cuisine of _Siri Mole Companhia."_ Edward named one of the finest seafood restaurants in Rio where he had dragged her their second night together.

She glared back at him.

"No!" she stubbornly resisted, even though the food was delicious. "I refuse to go to another overpriced restaurant, be the only one that actually eats, and then let you pay for it!" she stomped her foot down as he broke out laughing. She soon joined in.

"Alright," he said after their laughing moment passed and they fell to a comfortable silence.

"How about we go to _Emp__σ__rio_? Your friend, Giselle, will probably be working now." he offered and she nodded, satisfied. It would be the last time to see Giselle after all. They had exchanged numbers and all but she didn't know if she'd ever see the tall, gorgeous woman again.

The place was packed, but when Giselle saw them (Hermione had come with Edward three times after dinner and he found the older woman quite likeable), she motioned them closer and greeted them with loud squeals (Edward was reminded of Alice, emitting a shudder), and got teary eyed when Hermione told her it was her last night in the country.

She knew not to serve anything to the tall, stunning young man who always accompanied Hermione. Edward had told her he was against alcohol and she had taken it in stride. Hermione, on the other hand, tasted different drinks, careful not to drink too much but she declared that nothing matched her favorite _Caipirinha_. Both Giselle and Edward laughed at her but she ignored them.

Hermione took her drink and looked at the small dance floor. The dancers were packed close, their bodies pushed together and the air felt heavy as she watched the couples grind sensually against each other, kissing passionately and not caring about the eyes that saw them. She felt her body heating, very aware and sensitive to the fact that Edward was standing just beside her, his strong arms crossed on the bar counter as he chatted with Giselle.

She chanced a look at him and found him solely focused on the winking raven haired bar woman. She felt her ire rising, a hot burning feeling started in the pit of her stomach. She recognized all too well. She had felt it before after all; the sixth year when she saw Ron and Lavender.

_Jealously._

She was jealous.

She knew she had no right feeling that. Edward was _not_ her boyfriend and Giselle was a very beautiful, smart young woman, who had inquired about Hermione's relationship with the bronze haired god (as she put it, much to said god's amusement and Hermione's mortification) and Hermione had clearly stated they were just friends.

So she had no right to claw Giselle's eyes out or curse Edward's immortal arse to the next millennia because she had no claim on him.

_But..._

After last night, and since it was their last night together, she hoped to have Edward's undivided attention, like all their nights together. She was ashamed to admit that she was a little hurt by his actions. Here she was, having not slept a wink because of his bloody actions, and now, when she wanted to spend time with him, he went and started flirting with Giselle.

Wasn't he supposed to be in love with that Bella girl back in Forks?

_If that was how he acted around her, then maybe it was better for Bella that he left._

And maybe it was better for her to know that he wasn't really interested in her. She averted her eyes and caught the eye of a very good looking man about her age looking at her. He had cropped blonde locks that fell on his eyes, brilliant sea blue eyes and tanned skin. He saw her looking and he tilted his head towards Edward, silently asking her if he was with her.

She turned to look at him. He was still conversing with Giselle.

She gritted her teeth, missing the twitch of his lips as she turned to the blonde guy. She shook her head, no. He smiled and made his way to her.

When he came next to her, he offered a charming smile and leaned closer to her. She saw Edward's head snapping at them but she ignored him. _Maybe a taste of his own medicine will do him some good,_ she snidely thought.

"I'm Adam," his voice was deep but soft at the same time.

"Hermione," she answered back and smiled sweetly at him.

"Ah, Helen's daughter, right?" he tilted his head and she let out a surprised laugh.

"You know Greek mythology?" she asked, her interest peaked, not noticing the look on Edward's face as he stared angrily at her.

"Not much, I must admit." Adam chuckled.

"More than many though." she smiled pleasantly.

"Would you care to dance, _princess_?" he winked when he referred to the title her Greek namesake had. She hesitated for just a moment, her heart telling her no, but she was as always stubborn and her anger towards Edward made her decision.

"Sure," she turned to Edward with a smile and a challenging glint in her eyes. His golden orbs were passive and a polite smile was firm on his mouth. "You don't mind, right?" she asked sweetly and he inclined his head.

"Of course not. I'm sure Giselle will entertain me enough, right?" he winked at the raven haired beauty behind the counter who smirked at him. Hermione felt like _crucio_ing him but she caught herself.

"Great." she bit out and without a second glance, she drunk the rest of her drink in one go and followed Adam to the dance floor. She was a little nervous dancing when she thought she was being watched and her partner realized it immediately.

"Just relax," he whispered in her ear as he gently placed his hands on her hips and started guiding her body to move with his. "You are all alone; no one is looking at you. Just listen to the music and let your body move..."

And she did.

The lights in the small bar were low enough and she slid her lids close, letting her body move in the rhythm, her hands unconsciously sliding up his arms and resting on his shoulders. They moved together, getting closer and closer until she felt his hot breath on her exposed neck. She felt free, the alcohol having gone to her head. It made her more carefree and she responded to his every move.

When she felt Adam's hot lips on the base of her neck, her eyes snapped open just in time to see Edward ripping him away from her.

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He knew he was acting like a first class ass, but he just couldn't take being this close to her.

When they arrived at _Emporio_, she ran to her friend and they immediately went into girl mode, saying their farewells and promising to keep in touch with each other via mails and phone calls. Then Giselle slid a drink in the hands of the suddenly rather emotional British girl and winked at him.

_Seriously they are only friends? The chemistry the two of them generate could cause a blast! Just look at the way he's looking at her! Man!_

Her thoughts caused him to blush... Well if he was _able_, he would have blushed!

He avoided Hermione's eyes and rested his elbows on the counter, ignoring the vulgar thoughts girls sent his way and focused his attention on one thing: ignoring Hermione Granger. He came to the realization that it was his best option to make her dislike him, since they would never see each other again.

Giselle was pretty and smart and unlike the rest of the female population in the bar; she wasn't interested in him. Yes, she felt the standard attraction, but her heart was already taken and she believed in monogamy and fidelity. And that's why she was the perfect option for a nice conversation.

He sensed Hermione's discomfort and felt her glares, but he never met her eyes.

He physically felt her getting sad; he knew he was hurting her by ignoring her their last night together, but it had to be done.

He heard her exasperated sigh and then her teeth gnashing together. He fought a smile from spreading when he saw jealously flashing in her honey orbs from the corner of his eye. He found that he enjoyed her jealously very, _very much._

What he didn't know was the fact that Hermione was no Bella Swan. She was not the type to stand idly by whilst being ignored and moped like a helpless little girl. She retaliates... And in the same way.

Fighting fire with fire. Or in this case flirting, with another man... right next to him.

_She is gorgeous. She mustn't be local... European maybe..._

He glanced to his side when he caught these thoughts; all directed at Hermione. He saw a tall, tanned man with dark blonde hair and wide smile leaning over Hermione who smiled back charmingly.

"I'm Adam," the guy spoke softly to her ear and her smile was beatific.

"Hermione," she offered, not once glancing at him, even though he could tell, she knew he was watching.

"Ah, Helen's daughter, right?" _Nice name,_ he thought and Edward fought back a snarl at her delighted laugh.

"You know Greek mythology?" she asked, genially intrigued now and he felt his heart clenching. It was one thing to pretend she liked someone to retaliate but another to _actually_ like someone and flirt in front of him.

"Not much, I must admit." he chuckled. _Damn I should have read that fucking book! _Edward snorted quietly at his thoughts but snarled when Hermione spoke next.

"More than many though." she smiled sympathetically.

"Would you care to dance,_ princess_?" he had the nerve to wink! Edward wanted to smash his pompous head on the wall. Surely Hermione wouldn't go so far to punish him; surely she would understand that he had to push her away. She would act like the adult she was supposed to be, she was after all-

"Sure," she turned to him with a smile and a mocking glint in her eyes. He kept his carefully placed neutral expression on and smiled politely.

"You don't mind, right?" she asked sweetly and he inclined his head, feeling his anger pulsing through his veins, venom filling his mouth as he swallowed hard.

"Of course not. I'm sure Giselle will entertain me enough, right?" he turned and sent a wink at the tall woman, not willing to admit defeat to her. Giselle smirked back at him and lightly shook her head.

_Say no, you proud idiot! You'll lose her! _Her mind screamed at him but he ignored her. If Hermione wanted to play that game, so be it...

"Great." her voice was hard, and without a glance back, she gulped the rest of her drink down and walked with Adam to the dance floor. She seemed unsure of herself, uncomfortable with so many around her.

"Just relax. You are all alone; no one is looking at you. Just listen to the music and let your body move..." that vile_, disgusting_ man whispered at her and his hands clenched into fists as he watched Hermione close her eyes and fall to the rhythm. Her body moved sensually against Adam's, her hands on his shoulders and his on her small waist.

"It's your fault you know," Giselle smiled sadly from behind him and he turned to look at her. It was better than looking at Hermione, grinding against another man.

"What?" he snapped and she just smirked.

"You didn't expect her to just stand here and be ignored while you were busy flirting, right?" she snarled.

"I wasn't _flirting_ with you." he bit out and she laughed.

_Idiot!_

Really, her thoughts were quite insulting!

"Oh, yes you did! And Hermione knows it too. What did you think you were doing? It's her last night here and you'll probably never see her again. You're spending your last night together making her feel like crap. I don't know with what kind of girls you usually spend your time with, but Hermione is not some pushover. You hurt her and now she's showing you that she can have fun without you. She's hurting you back the same way you did... Jealously..."

"I'm not jealous!" he spat angrily. He was not! He was in love with Bella, not Hermione! "She's just a girl that I happened to meet! She's not even my friend!" the words, meaningless words that flew from his mouth, caused her to snark a boisterous laugh.

"That's good," her dark green eyes flashed humorlessly. "Because it seems that things start getting interesting on the dance floor. Maybe Blondie will get lucky with her tonight since _you_ are not interested."

She nodded towards the dancing couple and he span on his feet.

Hermione was moving sensually in Blondie's -as Giselle put it- arms, her eyes closed and her arms wrapped around his neck, her head resting on his chest. Adam's face was buried in her thick locks.

_God she smells delicious! I wonder how she tastes!_

He saw red.

His feet moved without him ordering them and when he saw his lips touching Hermione's neck, her brilliant honey eyes snapped open and connected with his vicious stare as he ripped him away from her.

"What the- _Edward_!" she stuttered as he turned his dark eyes on her and she suppressed a shiver. She stood her ground though and defiantly lifted her chin as she crossed her arms across her chest, pushing her full breasts upwards.

His heated eyes fell on the soft swell of her breasts and he swore under his breath.

He just lost this fight.

She was his and the laws, his past, _her _past, their families and friends could go fuck themselves as far as he cared.

"That was completely uncalled for!" she snapped at him.

"Shut up," he whispered, and before she could utter a single word, he grabbed her arms, pulled her to his embrace, and roughly kissed her with a bruising force. Her gasp was swallowed by his hungry mouth as he practically devoured her, his arms crashing her to him, any thought of the repercussions leaving his mind in the haze of her kiss.

In the midst of his hazed mind, he felt her magic lessening his brutal strength and he thanked every god he could think of as he pressed her closer to his body. His left hand abandoned her now limp arm and sneaked around her middle and molded her body with his as his right hand buried itself into her wild locks, pulling the clip that held her hair together and released the tresses. Her tentative hands crept up his hard chest shyly as she tried to realize what was happening. One hand stayed on his neck, the other started running through his already crazy hair, her fingernails lightly scratching his scalp and he groaned in pleasure at the sensation. Who knew his scalp was an erotic spot for him?

Certainly not him!

He tilted his head and guided her head to a more comfortable angle for him. He could hear Giselle laughing and cheering them on and Adam's vicious thoughts, but he didn't care. All that mattered was Hermione...

He pulled her bottom lip between his teeth and sucked harshly, her responding moan shot a current of want straight to his groin. Her sweet lips parted under his forceful ministrations and he wasted no time to swipe his cold tongue inside her hot, moist mouth, earning him a louder moan from the witch in his arms.

He tasted every corner, every crevice of her sweet tasting mouth, making her whimper more than once and fought the urge to lift her in his arms and take them to his room.

Unfortunately for them, Hermione was only human and she needed to breathe once in a while. When the need became unbearable, she wrenched her mouth from his, her forehead coming to rest on his chest as she gulped as much air as she could.

Edward's skillful mouth left small kisses on her cheek, lowering slowly to her neck where he attacked her soft flesh with soft bites, careful not to break the skin and let her blood drop. She felt the sting of pain and then his cold tongue soothed it and she knew she will have a bruise there by tomorrow morning.

She knew she should stop him; it was wrong and forbidden. But she couldn't, not when she wanted him with a desperation that hurt. When her whole body ached for his touch and her skin burned for him. She flushed more deeply when she felt a pulse of heat in her core and her knickers became damp with arousal. She cried out softly when he bit her lobe and sucked hard on the soft flesh.

"Edward," she gasped as his torturing mouth travelled to her neck and licked her oversensitive skin. Her knees buckled. "Maybe we should-"

He licked a path to her mouth and kissed her again, hard for just a minute and then pulled back, his eyes dark with lust as he stared at her.

"Let's go," he breathed and dragged her to grab her bag. He threw more than enough money to Giselle, who winked at them, to cover her drinks, and they were gone.

**A/N:** A next chapter is VERY mature...


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing...

**Warning:** This chapter is the edited version. Because of the explicits scenes previously written in this, I took the more mature version down and post it to my personal LiveJournal account. If you wish to read it, full smut/lemon included, the link is in my profile...

_**Chapter 9**_

Neither had any idea how they found themselves stumbling in his hotel room, the moonlight gliding through the drawn curtains and illuminating their intertwined bodies as they literally tore apart each other's clothes, their lips glued together and their bodies burning for each other's touch.

It took them half an hour to reach the hotel, due to the fact that in every dark alley, they would pull each other to the secluded shadows and surrendered to their passion. They practically ran through the lobby and Edward's hard glare was so terrifying that no one dared to enter the elevator with the two teenagers.

The door hadn't been closed for more than a second and he had her pushed to the wall, his mouth sucking on hers. Her hands were on his hair as he grabbed her thighs and pulled her upwards, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist.

She pulled her mouth away and looked down at his angelic face as he looked at her, his eyes molten gold, his lips parted and panting for breath. Her hand softly caressed his face, cradling his head to her soft, small hand as she smile beautifully at him.

He growled and sought her mouth with his.

"Wait!" she gasped and turned her face to the side. He wasn't deterred though. He buried his face to the crook of her neck and showered kisses all over her skin.

"No!" he answered, almost angrily and lifted a hand to force her to look at him so he could take her lips again.

"My parents," she managed to gasp before he parted her lips and caressed her tongue with his, causing her to shudder. Her arms and legs tightened around him and the smell of her arousal filled his senses. He moaned deeply in his throat.

She whined and forced his mouth to hers.

The doors clinked open and he let her legs drop, shoving her to the wall for a minute and tilting his head to the side.

"Your parents aren't here," he murmured as he pulled her out of the elevator.

They kissed furiously all the way to his room and they stumbled in, all thoughts leaving their minds except one.

His cold hands slid under her shirt and touched her silky skin with the softest of touches. He skimmed her ribcage and when he reached higher they both paused and locked eyes.

Hermione felt her whole body growing hot, every part of her he touched was set on fire. When he stopped right before he touch her chest, she knew he sought for reassurance that she wanted this, she wanted_ him._

"Make love to me Edward." she whispered. She knew he could hurt her, but her magic protected her. She felt it when he hugged her earlier. His eyes closed and he seemed unsure, now fighting with himself. She ran her hands over his shirt and smoothly slid them under the cotton, touching his marble cold chest and he gasped, his hands coming to grasp her own and ceased her movements. She looked at him softly. "I trust you."

He groaned and released her, his hands lifting her shirt over her head. She helpfully raised her arms to assist him, and within seconds, the garment was on the floor and she was standing half naked before his hungry eyes.

God, she was more beautiful than he had ever thought...

Despite the white scar on her chest, she was perfection; all soft curves and dips. He reverently touched her, his fingertips travelling to her flat stomach and gently lowering the zipper of her jean shorts, their eyes never breaking their contact. She pushed the rough material down her legs and stood in only her peach, satin bra and knickers. His breath was coming in short pants as he encircled her waist and brought her to him for a kiss.

One of her hands grabbed fists of silky locks and the other unbuttoned his shirt swiftly. She pushed the material aside and ran her palm over his exposed torso. Gods, he was beautiful_. _His hands grabbed her bottom and forced her to wrap her legs around him once more as he started walking to his huge bed, whilst her small hand worked on his own zipper.

He gently laid her on the satin sheets and lifted himself up to look at her sprawled on his bed in only her underwear.

She was beautiful.

"You are beautiful." he couldn't resist telling her and her shy smile made him chuckle warmly as he lowered his body over her smaller one, careful not to crush her. Her hands were pressed to his chest as he kissed her gently, his lips nipping and nibbling on her bottom lip. His tongue begged for entrance, which she gladly granted. He was in heaven...

Hermione slowly ran her hands down his strong form, touching as much skin as possible and responding wholeheartedly to his sweet kiss. She sighed and finally reached her destination: his pants. She finished lowering the zipper and grasped the waistband, insistently pushing it down. His warm chuckle brought her back and saw him looking at her amused.

"Hurry, much?" he smirked as she ran her fingers over him in retaliation. He hissed and his whole body shook, causing her to snigger back.

"It seems unfair that you still have clothes on when I'm only in my bra and panties, doesn't it?" she murmured as she nibbled his chin and he let his head fall on her shoulder, suckling the flesh there.

"It does, doesn't it?" he breathed, his voice husky. "Let me compensate for that..."

He shoved her hands away and swiftly relieved himself from his jeans, having only his black satin boxers on. She looked down at him and blushed furiously. He laughed quietly. Even in her boldest moments, she maintained her shyness and innocence. She was perfect...

He lowered his mouth to her collarbone, making her moan as his fingers pushed the bra straps down her arms. Having no patience he ripped her bra clean off her chest.

"You owe me a bra!" she snapped and he groaned.

"I'll buy you a hundred more!" he groaned as he kissed her _there_. She cried out in pleasure and her body arched on its own. He gave pleasurable attention on her chest and her hands grip the sheets so hard that she feared she might tear them.

_Who cares!_ she thought blissfully. She knew he too was a virgin, but she knew he was doing quite well for a beginner. For a moment, she thought about Ron and how she always envisioned her first time with him, but when Edward's mouth started going lower, she lost all coherent thought. She might regret it later, but right now, it felt so absolutely_ right_ to be with him like this.

He took his time as he kissed every inch of naked skin he could, his nose grazing her heated flesh and making her tremble, especially when he reached his final destination. He placed a sweet kiss on her pubic bone and he slowly pulled her panties down her long legs and threw them away, kissing her leg as he went.

She instinctively tried to close her legs and protect her most secret place but he was too strong, he forced her legs to open and fought back a lusty growl at what he saw.

She hissed when she felt him pressing a kiss _there._

"Oh dear, _Merlin!_" she cried out when he lowered his mouth. She didn't expect that when she decided she wanted to make love with Edward. Her thighs trembled, fighting to close and lock his bronze head there.

_xxxxxxx_

She laughed softly as she hugged him close and yawned hugely.

"Tired?" he asked, amusement thick in his voice as he dropped a kiss on her shoulder.

"You have no idea." she murmured sleepily and wriggled under him. He chuckled and rolled to his side, pulling her against his body, his arm possessively wrapping around her waist and crashing her to him.

"Rest, my love..." he murmured, inaudible. "I'll take care of you..."

She didn't hear him, she was asleep the minute he hugged her.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing...

**Warning:** Again this is the edited version... The full chapter, smut included can be found to my LiveJournal.

_**Chapter 10**_

Two hours later they were laughing as they sat on his bed, he wearing only a new pair of boxers and she her knickers and one of his oversized button up shirts, her hair falling down her back in a tangled mess.

She was eating a full English breakfast that Edward had ordered for her whilst she was in the bathroom. After a failed attempt to a shared shower (that ended up with them having sex against the tiled wall), they agreed to separate shower's. He went first and then she. She made sure she placed locking charms to keep him out. Good thing she did, because not even after a minute had passed, she heard Edward's loud swearing when her charm stung his hands.

On the bed, he was framing her small frame between his legs as he fed her, much to her chagrin.

"I'm not a child, Edward!" she huffed when he offered her a sausage, snickering contently.

"Your point?" he waved the fried sausage mockingly in front of her face as she sighed heavily before taking a bite. Hermione had been awake for a couple of hours now, it was almost ten O' clock in the morning and both of them had decided to enjoy their remaining time together.

Last night had been magical. She had no regrets and the same went for Edward. They only regretted not doing it sooner. After every single bite, he would turn her head softly and capture her lips into soft kisses. Sometimes, he would give her simple pecks and sometimes, he would softly bite her lower lip, suck it between his teeth and swirl his tongue, inviting her own to a maddening dance that caused her body to warm.

But they managed to avoid another roll on the sheets. His laugh cut short and she turned to look at him, confused.

His eyes were clouded, his brows furrowed and his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Edward?" she questioned him softly. He turned to stare at her, his eyes vacant of any emotion, his face expressionless.

"Your parents..." he said monotonously and she felt her heart squeezing. "They are thinking about coming waking you up to get ready... You'll be leaving in two hours..."

"Oh," she whispered and watched him as he pushed himself away from her and stood, his eyes staring around his room. He walked to his closet, pulled a clean, simple black t- shirt and pulled it on and a pair of designer's dark blue jeans. The simple outfit made him look like a super model, but she didn't admire his beauty. She was peeved by his attitude. His sudden cold shoulder was surprising, considering the fact he was kissing her like she was his life two minutes ago!

"Is everything okay?" she asked cautiously as she climbed to her feet, pushing a wild lock behind her ear and observing the tall vampire.

He turned to look at her and cursed internally.

He shouldn't have look at her. Not when she was only in her knickers and was covered only by his shirt. Her nipples were quite visible and the memories of last night flooded his brain.

He should have given her something else to wear! She looked too damn alluring and sexy right now, that he barely controlled himself.

For the first time that morning, he regretted what they've done last night. She was supposed to leave today. She was supposed to go across an entire ocean and in the arms of her fucking ex-boyfriend who, no doubt, expected her with open arms.

He knew she was leaving and that's why he acted like that last night. But the temptation was too much. He could fight no more. So he took what he wanted, what he dubbed as his from the moment he first laid eyes on her, and now she was leaving. _Leaving him._

"Edward," her voice was hard and he turned to look at her, his carefully neutral mask was placed firmly upon his face. He was good at that: lying; playing the cool, uncaring bastard. Years upon years of practice had help him become an excellent liar.

"Yes?" he asked politely, regarding her with -what he hoped was- an indifferent and even maybe amused glance. He noticed her stiffening at his polite, almost cold type of mannerism.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she spat, bracing herself for the worst. He became an ice king in a matter of seconds and that didn't sit well with her.

Oh no, sir. Hermione Granger was no Bella Swan! She took crap from nobody.

"Wrong?" he repeated, tilting his head to show her his bemusement. "Nothing's wrong with me!" he chuckled as he smiled at her. Her eyes turned hard and a look of hurt flashed through her face. His heart leapt but he held his composure. _She was the one leaving..._

"Do you have a multiple personality disorder then?" she bit out and he was suddenly startled. Those were Bella's words, but more vicious. Unlike Bella, Hermione's eyes held no vulnerability. He laughed out loud, knowing that would enrage the fiery girl. He needed her to dump him soon, or else he wouldn't be able to let her go. Not now, not when he finally found her, after all those months of pain.

"Nope!" he winked and expected her to scream, hit, or hex him. Nothing came. He looked at her and was shocked to see her smiling sadly.

"I see." she nodded and she must have noticed his confusion. "I'm not an idiot Edward. I know that you are angry at me for leaving…"

Angry? _Oh, hell no!_ He was fucking furious! She had let him make love to her last night! She had willingly given her virginity to him! And now, she was leaving him!

"…you knew I would have to eventually go-"

"Don't be ridiculous." he scoffed and mentally cringed at what he was about to do. He knew there was no way the two of them could be together. It was far more dangerous than his relationship with Bella. It was forbidden by the magical law, even if they kept it a secret, Hermione was a public, famous persona. Everyone knew her and paparazzi would shadow her every step when she returned home. It would be a matter of days before they were exposed. And then, he and his family would be executed and she would be sentenced to a life in prison.

Not acceptable.

"Why would I be upset? We both knew what we were doing last night. It's not like any of us expected it to last. It was a one-time thing; a one night stand. I just wanted to forget Bella for a night, and you were willing-"

He hit the wall with a_ crash._

He looked up, startled and noticed Hermione standing there, her wand pointing at him, angry red sparks flying from the tip. Tears were running down her cold, emotionless eyes as she regarded him coolly.

He tried to look into her mind for up until now, she had her walls down.

Now the wall was impenetrate-able.

He locked eyes with the witch. He was scared to notice that her expression didn't change. It was still the cold, furious mask.

"Hermione," he started, but she cut him off before he could apologise; before he could admit that he didn't mean anything, and that he only tried to estrange her for her own sake.

"You know what?" she whispered, her eyes looking at the wall next to his head. "I have gone through many things in my life: death, war, torture. But even after everything that happened to me, I always was proud of myself in knowing that every decision I made, every action I took, I would never regret them. I'm not into self pitying, you know what I mean?"

"Hermione," he repeated, more loudly this time, and attempted to walk to her. She flicked her wrist and he found himself unable to move. She walked to him and knelt before him, her knees right beside his head as she looked down at him.

"No. I've never regretted anything I've done… until now." she lightly traced his cheek as soundless tears fell on his cold-as-stone face. "I regret ever meeting you." she murmured. "I regret all my time I've spent with you. I regret giving myself to you when I've always held back with the boy who loves me. I did it just because I thought you cared for me too. But most of all," she paused. "I regret _falling in love with you_."

His eyes widened, his breaths came out in angry pants from his nose as he begged her with his eyes to release him, to let him explain, to tell her he had fallen in love with her as well, that everything he said to her was a lie!

"Do not worry though," she smiled at him, her eyes deep burning pits of rage. "I'll never repeat that mistake again."

She rose to her feet and started searching the room for her clothes, hastily putting them on as she wiped her tears with her hands, all the whilst aware of the gold eyes following her every movement. But she didn't care.

When she was dressed, she walked to the fallen vampire and smiled benignly.

"Do not worry. The spell will wear off within three hours. That's enough time of me to have boarded my plane, leaving you to your own life once and for all. You won't have to see me ever again."

_No!_

"I apologize for any inconvenience I might have been to you. I didn't mean to, _honestly_. I will try to forget every silly emotion I might have for you, so don't worry. I won't come searching for you." she chuckled morosely as she twirled her wand in her hand. "I wish you a happy life and I hope you'll manage to forget Bella eventually, she obviously is a remarkable young girl since you love her so much."

_No, god, please don't go! I love you! Please, god, don't let her go!_

She looked around. No, she hadn't missed anything.

"Well... _goodbye._" she popped out, not noticing the glinting eyes that screamed at her to stay. She didn't see them filling with unimaginable pain.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing...

_**Chapter 11**_

Hermione appeared into her room. She stood still for a long minute and then sobs wrecked her body. She threw herself at her bed and cried her eyes out. She curled into a ball; hugging herself closer and letting all her pain consume her.

_How could he?_

She was so sure her feelings were reciprocated! She was so sure that he loved her as well!

The way he kissed and held her last night, the soft look in his eyes as they made love.

And this morning...

_But no..._

He just wanted to forget Bella. In his eyes, she would never be as good as her.

Surprisingly, she didn't hate the Muggle girl. Yes, the intense feelings of jealously burned her up, but Bella had never harmed her. She was probably just as broken as Hermione, maybe more since she was with Edward for six months.

A soft knock on her door caused her to look up.

"Hermione? Sweetie? Are you awake, darling?" her mother's sweet voice was heard. "You have to get ready, princess!"

"I'm awake, mum!" she called out and cringed. Her voice was hoarse from crying and her mother paused.

"Hermione? Are you okay?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah, fine" she choked out, more tears falling.

"Open up, Hermione." she demanded and she had no choice but to obey. She just needed her mother. Helen walked in and gasped when her eyes landed on her daughter. She was curled up on her bed, her eyes swollen and bloodshot from crying.

_"Oh sweetie!"_ she gathered the younger woman in her arms and rocked her back and forth. "It's okay honey, it's okay."

She stayed with her for half an hour. When she asked if it was about Edward, Hermione refused to answer. She accepted her refusal, assuming Hermione was upset she was leaving her new beau and advised her to get ready.

Hermione walked to her bathroom and looked herself up and down in her wide mirror. She cringed.

No wonder her mother assumed she cried about him.

Her neck was marked by a bruised love bite and another one was visible beneath her shirt's collar. Last night, they both were quite passionate. She sighed heavily as she waved her wand and erased her bruises. She still decided to wear a high collar shirt, just in case.

She packed her bags with a flick of her wand, too emotionally drained to do it manually like other times. She picked a clean outfit for the day: a simple black mini-skirt, short sleeved, blue polo shirt and blue ballet flats. She added a black man's hat and charmed her bag into a matching blue color. She rang the reception to send someone to carry her bags.

Her parents were unusually careful around her; they even tried to let her stay for another week. They were willing to sponsor her vacations since they were sure she was depressed for leaving Edward. She snapped at them and told them that she just wanted to go back to Hogwarts and never see that guy again.

She went to the lobby to wait for their taxi, sitting at the comfortable sofas and reading a celebrity magazine. They didn't dare approach her again.

Her heart was thumping loudly as the time passed at an agonizingly slow rate. She was afraid she wouldn't manage to escape before Edward was freed from her spell and he would catch her. Her emotions might have influenced her efficiency and even though he was supposed to stay like that for three hours, the thought of him escaping chilled her.

She chanced a look at the sky.

It was cloudy, preparing for a light rain... The sun was well hidden...

_Damn..._

That meant he could walk out of the hotel.

Finally, the time came. Without looking back, she boarded the vehicle. Her father stored their luggages in the trunk and tipped the hotel's vale. He slipped into the passenger seat just in time for the driver to start the engine. There was no turning back now.

Her feelings won out then and she turned to look at the hotel's entrance.

She knew it was ridiculous, but even though she was angry beyond belief with him, her heart was beating against her ribcage as a tiny flicker of hope broke through. She hoped she would see him coming out the hotel, running after her, yelling at her and when she wouldn't respond, following her to the airport, tracking her down and telling her how much he loved her.

She closed her eyes and a single tear rolled down her cheek when they turned the corner. Edward nowhere in sight.

After all, _she _had made sure of that.

88888

He fought against his invisible bindings. His minds heard her parents' thoughts as he tried to hear anything from her room.

Her mother had just come out of her room and his heart broke a little when he saw through her eyes how much pain he had caused her.

_It's about Edward, I know it!_ Helen's thought were screaming at him. _Maybe I should ask him to talk to her?_

He let out a silent scream of desperation when she knocked on his door and he was unable to move. He mentally pleaded for her to realize something was wrong.

_Maybe he's out..._

He felt his eyes burning with unshed tears as he heard her walking away, leaving him to his silent prison.

His heart was hurting him; the seconds were moving impossibly fast and the bindings were still unbreakable.

He heard a soft knock from her door.

_"Are you ready, Miss?"_

_"Oh, yes, thank you! My bags are over there."_

He watched through the hotel employee's eyes as she opened the door, smiled politely, and showed him the three burgundy colored luggages. He collected them and followed her out.

_"Did you have a good time, Miss?"_

_"Yes, it was lovely. My only regret is that I didn't manage to learn the language!"_

They shared a laugh as he mentally screamed and raged as Hermione drew further away.

He prayed to every god he knew to not let her leave him. Not yet, not before he tell her how much she changed his life, how much he loved her and that he was lying! A chance was what he needed!

He concentrated on her parents' minds and found them in the small cafe. She was upset.

_"Would you like to stay a week more, Hermione?"_

She looked up suddenly and his hopes were renewed.

_"What?"_

_"Well, your mother and I thought that it would do you some good. Another week of vacation! We can afford it if you'd like to stay. You'll have to move into a smaller room, but-"_

_"No, thank you!"_

He closed his eyes.

And then they flew open in shock.

His body was starting to respond to his commands! _Please god, don't let them leave yet!_

_"Hermione if this is about Edwar-"_

_"No, it's not about him! Stop asking me! I just want to go back to Hogwarts and my friends. I don't want to talk or see that idiot ever again, okay?"_

She stood up and walked away, leaving two shocked parents behind.

He could move his lips...

The receptionist eyed Hermione with interest; she was, after all quite beautiful. Edward felt like strangling him. But he had his uses; he allowed him to stare at her.

His toes moved.

Their taxi was here. She smiled, seemingly relieved, but he could see the pain flashing through her honey eyes as she said her goodbyes and let her father board the luggage's.

_No no no no no no no NO NO NO NO NO!_

And then, she was gone...

He closed his eyes and dry-sobbed on the marble floor.

And he suddenly realized that he could now move properly.

He jumped to his feet, looked around the room and debated what his next action should be. He needed to find her; that was for sure. He ran to his window and threw open the curtains. He cried out in delight when he saw the dark sky above, the sun nowhere in sight. Maybe he had a chance after all.

He grabbed his wallet and ran down the stairs in vampire speed, he knew no one could see him, but he checked if someone was there anyway. Thankfully, that particular hotel had no security cameras in the stairway, so he wasn't concerned about exposing his secret.

He flashed a grin to the people passing by, causing a few women to stumble and jog down to the pavement.

A taxi stopped in front of him and he jumped in.

_"To Gale__γ__o-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport please. And step on it; go as fast as you can." _he spoke in the man's native language and when he saw him frowning, he threw a couple thousand dollars next to his seat.

The man's eyes widened as he stared at the money, then back at Edward.

_"If you are there under half an hour, you'll have more."_ he said and the driver nodded and started racing.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing...

_**Chapter 12**_

Hermione looked around her. Her parents were giving their luggages for storage and she just stood there, motionless as she remembered everything that had happened the last few days. How that asshole, Dolohov, attacked her and her vampire lover saved her. Her dates with Edward, his story and all the happy memories she had with him. Their night together, _making love..._

His hurtful words that pierced her heart and left her bleeding...

Her despair was probably showing on her face because people gave her weird looks. The women looked understanding, the men curiously. The pain of a broken heart was common to everyone, no matter the language barrier.

Her eyes unwittingly turned behind her, still hoping that he would show up, that he would come to claim her and confess his love for her. She might be strong and a realist but Hermione was still a woman; _a young woman in love..._

"Hermione?"

She lifted her orbs to her father.

"We are boarding, dear." he smiled and she felt like sobbing.

_Later... When you are back with your friends you can weep all you want! _She chastised herself and answered her father's smile with a little one of her own. Her eyes however remained sad and hollow.

"Splendid!" she cheered and walked to the long line, ignoring the concerning looks her parents exchanged.

She was going home and that was that. She and Edward were just not meant to be...

88888

"Come on, come on, _come on!_" he chanted as he watched the driver raced through the busy streets of Rio de Janeiro, avoiding crashing into another vehicles or passer by's in the last minute, never slowing down and taking sharp turns, sending Edward flying in the sides. But he didn't care.

As long as he managed to find her before it was too late, he could take everything. He felt his phone vibrating and thoughtlessly pulled it out and saw a missed call from Rosalie. He dialed her number, watching the airport coming into view. He breathed a sigh of relief. He was here finally! He would see his Hermione soon.

He wanted to kiss her, hold her and cherish her and never let her go. He wanted her by his side always; he didn't care what was against them. He only needed Hermione. Everything else, he could deal with.

The phone started ringing. Rosalie answered just as he threw almost two thousand dollars to the shocked taxi driver and stepped out. He looked up, making sure the sun was still hidden.

_"Hey, Edward." _Rosalie's nervous voice flowed through the speaker. Edward felt irritation building up his stomach. Why he did call her back?_ "Listen, I have something to tell you..."_

"Listen Rose, can you call back later? I have something to do and it cannot wait-"

_"Bella jumped off a cliff, Edward." _she spoke calmly to his ear and he froze. His body came to a halt as his eyes widened.

"What?"

_"She committed suicide. Alice saw her."_

"Lies!" he growled, and before she could speak, he snapped his phone shut. He dialed a familiar number; his heart squeezed painfully in his ribcage as he brought the phone to his ear and waited for someone to answer. No, it couldn't be! He had asked her to keep safe. She was supposed to be safe and sound. She was supposed to move on with someone, fall in love again and start a family.

His feelings for her were still strong. He now realized that it was indeed possible to love two different individuals at the same time. Bella and Hermione were so different and he loved them both for their personalities.

How ironic that was that he used to believe that everyone who claimed that they were in love with two women/men was a cheater, liar, and a fool. And now, he was divided in half. He could really congratulate himself for screwing up with both girls.

_"Swan Residence,"_ came a baritone, warm voice and he fought back a growl.

"Is Charlie there, please?" he spoke softly and he heard the man shifting, like he recognized his voice. Truly, when he answered back, his voice was colder.

_"He's not here."_ he almost snapped and Edward gripped his phone tighter.

"And where is he?" he demanded, holding his breath.

_"At a funeral."_

He froze his heart breaking and his breathing increasing. He unceremoniously dropped the phone to a rubbish bin, not noticing the young boy that looked at him, then at the phone, shrugged his shoulders and took it.

_"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb" he said morosely as he stared at her soft, chocolate eyes._

_"What a stupid lamb" she answered back, quietly._

_"What a masochistic lion." he murmured as he traced her face._

Bella, Bella, Bella.

Sweet, _innocent_ Bella.

His first love, the girl he thought he would love forever.

Her warm eyes that caused his breath to hitch and was the first one to melt his frozen heart.

So different yet so similar to his Hermione.

Both had stolen a piece of his heart and gave theirs willingly to him, asking for nothing back.

Both had their hearts broken by him...

He was a_ monster._

He didn't deserve to live, not after what he did to her.

Hermione, his beautiful, strong Hermione.

She would be okay. She thought he never cared for her. She thought he only used her. She would be fine...

If he went for her...

He would cause her pain and eventually death as he did to the sweet, trusting Bella.

He opened his eyes and found himself looking at the ticket office.

_"How can I help you?"_

He stared at her. He gave her his credit card.

_"A ticket to Italy, please."_

88888

"Hermione?"

She turned to look at her mother. She was looking outside her window seat, absorbed in her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Put your seat belt on, sweetie. We're taking off." Helen smiled at her daughter.

"Oh, thanks." Hermione put her belt on and turned to look at the pavement that started disappearing under the plane's wheels. She closed her eyes. This was the worst part of the trip for her: the take off.

"It's okay now, darling." the flight attendant said to her with a warm smile and she stared at the huge city below her.

Rio de Janeiro...

The city where she met love... And found heartbreak.

So many memories, good and bad.

She was broken; her heart still bleeding from his betrayal. She would heal.

After all, time healed every wound.

She had her friends and family to support her after all. She smiled genuinely for the first time that day.

She was _finally_ going home...

**A/N: ****littleriri1148** I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I enjoyed creating this story! Have fun reading and do tell me your opinion!

For everyone interest in the sequel of this story, titled **Choices**, you can get a sneak peak of the Prologue and the posting date in my blog, link in my profile!

Also check my photobucket for pictures of the characters.

Hope you all had/have lovely holidays!

Love,

Alex...


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